LA  PLATA  COUNTRIES 


OF 


SOUTH  ^|\.MERICA. 


i\ 


.  J.  M.  CLEMENS. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT    COMPANY. 
1886. 


f5.80S 


Copyright,  1886,  by  E.  J.  M.  CLEMENS. 


4    t  *-      c     »^  t 

4         €  i         t     C    c 

«      «      <         *  *    t       ( 


4ISrFPE0TYFERSJNDPRINTERSl> 


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TO  THE 

AMERICAN    PEOPLE, 

WITH   THE  HOPE  THAT   IT   MAY   IN    SOME   MEASURE   CONTRIBUTE 

TO  A   BETTER   ACQUAINTANCE 
^ ' 

WITH   THE   NATIONS   OF   LA    PLATA, 

THIS   VOLUME 

IS    RESPECTFULLY    DEDICATED. 


Ml26i88 


CONTENTS. 


PART    I. 


A  JOURNEY  AND   A  GLANCE   AT   URUGUAY. 

Chapter  Pagb 

I. — A  Journey ii 

II. — Scenes  in  Montevideo 31 

III. — Popular  Amusements 51 

IV. — Burial  Customs 61 

V. — Business  Conveniences " 65 

VI. — The  Republic  of  Uruguay 72 

VII. — Epitome  of  Uruguayan  History 86 


PART    II. 


THE  ARGENTINE   REPUBLIC   AND   BOLIVIAN   LA 

PLATA. 

VIII. — The  Argentine  Capital 95 

IX. — The  Argentine  Republic 115 

X. — The  Province  of  Buenos  Ayres 124 

XI. — The  Entrepot  of  the  Interior 144 

XII. — Amusements  and  Incidents 174 

XIII. — Railroads  and  Colonization 197 

I*  5 


6  CONTENTS. 

Chapter  Page 

XIV. — The  Argentine  Mesopotamia 220 

XV. — The  Cuyo  District 238 

XVI. — The  Central  Provinces 249 

XVII. — The  Highland  Provinces 264 

XVIII. — The  National  Territories 275 

XIX. — The  Army  and  Navy 285 

XX. — Educational  Facilities 291 

XXI. — Currency  and  Commerce 307 

XXII. — Epitome  of  Argentine  History 332 

XXIII. — Bolivian  La  Plata     337 


PART    III. 

HISTORICAL   RETROSPECT. 

XXIV. — Discovery  and  Colonization 345 

XXV. — Diverse  Inhabitants 360 

XXVI. — War  of  Independence 368 

XXVII. — Period  of  Anarchy 373 

XXVIII. — Ancient  Religions 389 

XXIX. — Influence  of  the  Jesuits 405 


PART    IV. 
PARAGUAY. 


XXX. — Independence  of  Paraguay 423 

XXXI. — Destruction  of  Paraguay 437 


CONTENTS.  7 

Page 
Chapter 

XXXII.— Reconstruction  of  Paraguay 455 

XXXIII.— Epitome  of  Paraguayan  History 487 


PART    V. 

BRAZILIAN   LA   PLATA. 

XXXIV.— Brazilian  La  Plata 493 


PART    I. 


A  JOURNEY  AND  A  GLANCE  AT 
URUGUAY. 


CHAPTER    I. 

A  JOURNEY. 

When,  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1880,  I  was 
preparing  to  go  to  the  Argentine  Republic,  I  was 
surprised  to  find  how  little  I  knew  of  that  country, 
and  how  little  with  regard  to  the  South  American 
nations  is  available  to  the  general  reader.  I  was 
even  more  astonished  on  learning  that  to  reach  my 
proposed  destination,  a  journey  longer  than  to  India 
lay  before  me ;  that  there  were  only  four  routes  by 
which  the  valley  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata — the  south- 
ern twin  of  the  Mississippi  Valley — could  be  reached 
from  the  United  States.  The  first  of  these,  by 
steamer  from  some  Atlantic  port  of  the  United 
States  to  Europe,  and  thence  to  Montevideo.  The 
second,  from  San  Francisco  down  the  west  coast  to 
Valparaiso ;  thence  around  Cape  Horn  to  Monte- 
video and  Buenos  Ayres.  (By  this  route  the 
traveller  gets  one  degree  more  of  latitude  than  if 
he  should  start  from  the  equator  and  land  at  the 
North   Pole,  and   for  good   count,  gets  2i}4°  over 

again.     To  avoid  the  repetition,  he  may  leave  the 

II 


12  .\ LA'  PLATA    CO UNTRIES 

steamer  at  Valparaiso  and  cross  the  Andes  on 
mule-back, — in  which  case  a  minimum  of  personal 
property  is  an  item  worthy  of  consideration.)  The 
third  is  from  New  York  to  Valparaiso  by  the  way 
of  Panama,  and  from  Valparaiso  either  around 
Cape  Horn  or  across  the  Andes.  The  fourth,  by 
sailing  vessel  from  an  Atlantic  port  of  the  United 
States,  direct  to  the  La  Plata.  The  most  regular 
and  commodious  of  these  sail  from  Portland,  with 
cargoes  of  lumber.  By  sailing-vessel  route,  the 
distance  between  the  United  States  and  the  mouth 
of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata  is  between  seven  thousand 
and  eight  thousand  miles.  The  shortest  route  by 
steamer  is  more  than  ten  thousand  miles.  By 
neither  is  the  journey  likely  to  be  accomplished  in 
less  than  two  months,  and  by  the  former  it  may  be 
indefinitely  protracted. 

I  decided  to  go  by  England,  as  the  cheapest  and 
most  expeditious  way  of  reaching  the  desired  point, 
and  registered  for  Liverpool  on  "  the  safest  ship  of 
the  safest  line  that  ever  ploughed  the  sea." 

There  could  be  no  pleasanter  spring  morning 
than  that  on  which  we  steamed  down  the  East  River 
and  out  into  the  broad  Atlantic.  Never  was  sky 
more  unconscious  of  a  frown,  or  treacherous  sea 
more   unsuggestive   of  a   billow.     But   never   were 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


13 


pleasant  auguries  more  ruthlessly  set  at  naught. 
On  the  second  day  rough  weather  set  in,  and  each 
succeeding  to-morrow  the  waves  grew  more  boister- 
ous, each  night  the  demons  of  the  sea  held  more 
hideous  revelry. 

Before  we  hailed  the  Irish  coast  one  life-boat  had 
been  carried  away,  and,  as  the  sequel  proved,  two 
others  had  been  hopelessly  disabled.  Then  the 
goblins  of  the  deep  retired  to  their  caves,  and  the 
human  hearts  they  had  buffeted  were  filled  with 
thanksgiving. 

At  Queenstown  the  government  inspector  came 
on  board,  laughed  at  our  dilapidated  appearance, 
took  a  glass  of  grog,  and  climbed  down  the  rope- 
ladder  into  his  boat.  Letters  were  sent  on  shore. 
The  pilot  came  on  board,  and  again  we  were  moving 
on  in  high  spirits. 

With  night,  a  thick  fog  settled  down  on  St. 
George's  Channel,  and  the  ship  crept  slowly  on, 
through  the  first  and  second  watches,  feeling  for  the 
clear  water.  Midnight !  One ;  two  ;  half-past,  and 
"  all  is  well !"  Close  upon  the  stroke  of  three  ;  but 
the  bell  for  three  was  never  rung.  An  instant  of 
quickened  speed, — a  sudden  reversing  of  motion, 
— a  raising  of  the  ship  ;  then  an  ominous  hush ! 
I  waited  the  possible  sixtieth  part  of  an  interminable 


14 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRLES 


second,  and  then  called  "  What  is  the  matter  ?"  No 
answer  came  from  the  watchman  who  had  kept  his 
nightly  beat  in  the  passage,  so  I  left  my  berth  to 
investigate.  As  I  reached  the  cabin,  the  Purser 
came  rushing  down.  "  On  deck,  quick  !  Tell  them 
all  not  to  wait  for  anything !  Get  on  deck  as  quick 
as  possible  !     We  are  wrecked  !" 

On  deck  was  pitchy  blackness,  rendered  more 
intense  by  the  glare  of  tar  lights  and  the  lurid  flash 
of  the  distress  rockets,  and  more  hideous  by  the 
boom  of  the  signal  gun.  All  but  two  of  the  forty- 
two  firemen  had  deserted  their  post  and  were  surg- 
ing up  and  down  the  deck  panic-stricken.  The 
passengers  were  ordered  forward,  and  in  trying  to 
obey  were  beaten  back  by  this  grimy  living  wave. 
Then,  across  ship,  only  again  and  again  to  be 
thrust  aside.  Owing  to  the  careening  of  the  ship 
and  the  twisting  of  its  iron  bars,  the  first  life-boat 
attempted  could  not  be  lowered.  Others  were  at 
length  let  down  and  the  work  of  filling  them  was 
begun.  The  ladies  went  first.  Around  the  waist  of 
each  a  rope  was  tied  ;  then  she  clambered  over  the 
deck-guard,  clung  to  a  rope-ladder,  swung  over  the 
dark  abyss,  and  was  caught  by  a  sailor,  who 
deposited  her  at  his  feet  in  the  life-boat.  "  The 
children  next,"  called  the  Purser,  after  the  first  lady 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  1 5 

had  been  lowered.  But  two  little  girls  clung 
together,  saying  firmly,  "  No,  no,  we  will  not  go 
till  mamma  does.  Because  the  other  time  they  put 
us  in  a  boat  and  she  did  not  come !"  It  was  the 
second  time  the  "  little  family"  had  been  wrecked 
within  a  month  in  trying  to  get  back  from  America 
to  their  English  home.  Those  let  down  last  after- 
wards described  it  as  dreadful  to  stand  on  deck  and 
watch  the  slow  sinking  of  their  companions  into  the 
gloomy  depths,  lit  up  only  by  flashes  of  the  tar 
light.  Those  first  lowered  described  the  sensation 
as  agonizing,  as  they  sat  in  that  gloom,  almost 
holding  their  pulse-beats  with  suspense,  and  saw 
one  after  another  swinging  over  them.  Under  such 
circumstances  it  would  be  hard  to  say  which  is 
more  heroic,  or  shows  the  greater  self-abnegation, 
she  who  waits  till  the  last,  or  she  who  willingly  goes 
first.  While  the  ladies  were  being  thus  assisted,  the 
gentlemen  passengers  were  clambering  down  rope- 
ladders  to  the  boats  assigned  them.  When  I 
stepped  into  the  life-boat,  I  found  myself  nearly 
knee-deep  in  water.  Then  began  a  great  outcry. 
"  Another  boat,  ho !  another  boat !  This  one  is 
sinking.  Quick,  another  boat!"  As  speedily  as 
possible  another  boat  was  brought  around,  and 
those  who  could  not  help  themselves  were  picked  up 


r»i-'' 


1 6  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

in  strong  arms  and  tossed  over  into  it.  All  the  little 
belongings  that  had  been  clung  to  thus  far,  and  the 
blankets  thrown  down  for  our  protection,  were  lost 
in  the  transfer.  This  second  boat  was  rapidly  filling. 
Again  came  the  frantic  order  from  the  upper  deck, 
"For  God's  sake  push  off!"  But  whither  should 
we  go  ?  The  boats  spun  around  and  around,  trying 
to  go,  no  one  knew  whither.  At  length  one  struck 
off  towards  the  dim  outline  of  the  rocky  coast,  and 
after  long  search  found  a  small  cove  into  which  it 
entered.  By  wading  through  the  surf  nearly  breast 
deep  and  clambering  up  a  steep  bluff,  the  men 
found  human  habitations,  but  were  not  suffered  to 
enter,  and  shivering  with  the  cold,  seeing  no  better 
refuge,  they  waded  back  to  their  boat.  Through 
all  the  weary  hours,  from  three  o'clock  till  day, 
no  human  being  came  out  on  that  thickly-settled 
coast,  in  answer  to  the  distress  signals,  to  offer 
help  or  to  show  one  glimmering  ray  of  human 
sympathy. 

The  boat  to  which  I  had  been  consigned,  having 
both  ladies  and  gentlemen,  struck  off  towards  a 
light  in  the  distance.  In  the  confusion,  and  under 
cover  of  the  darkness,  eleven  firemen  had  slipped 
down  the  side  of  the  wreck,  making  twenty-nine 
persons  in  a  boat  designed  at  its  best  estate  to  carry 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  ly 

only  fifteen.  Now  it  stood  sorely  in  need  of  calk- 
ing. This  being  out  of  the  question,  bailing  alone 
remained.  The  firemen  refused  to  assist  in  bailing 
or  to  help  at  the  oars.  Only  three  sailors  had  fallen 
to  our  lot,  and  the  prospect  was  not  flattering. 
Signs  of  mutiny  were  rife.  Harsh  words  were 
bandied  between  the  infuriated  men  and  the  power- 
less officer  in  charge.  "  I  will  report  you  when  we 
get  to  shore,"  said  the  officer  to  the  burly  ring- 
leader seated  in  the  bow.  *'  Humph !  You're  not 
at  shore  yet !"  was  the  threatening  retort  in  a 
demoniac  tone. 

Then  another  sound  broke  on  the  ear.  At  first,  a 
soft,  broken  sound,  but  growing  stronger  as  one 
tremulous  voice  after  another  joined  in  the  refrain — 
"  Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee,"  "  Jesus,  lover  of  my 
soul,"  "  Rock  of  ages."  The  fog  had  turned  to  rain, 
and  was  pouring  down  on  us.  The  water  lacked 
only  a  few  inches  of  filling  the  boat,  and  the  revolv- 
ing light  in  the  dim  distance  seemed  to  grow  no 
nearer.  There  appeared  no  human  probability  that 
the  boat  could  reach  the  shore.  Every  passenger 
fully  realized  the  situation,  but  no  one  spoke  of 
danger.  Every  one  was  in  the  most  uncomfortable 
position,  but  no  one  spoke  of  discomfort.     During 

all   those   dreary  hours   not  a  groan  was   uttered. 
b  2* 


1 8  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

As  the  singing  continued,  creeping  along  in  the 
darkness  that  seemed  as  though  it  never  would  grow 
light,  the  spirit  of  mutiny  died  away,  the  men  began 
to  bail  with  a  will,  and  volunteered  their  help  at  the 
oars.  Finally,  when  daylight  struggled  through  the 
clouds,  and  "  Pull  for  the  shore"  sounded  cheerfully 
over  the  water,  the  seamen  joined  in  the  song,  and 
when  that  was  ended,  suggested  **  America,"  a  com- 
pliment that  was  responded  to  by  as  hearty  a  follow- 
ing of  "God  save  the  Queen;"  and  when,  after  six 
hours  of  rowing,  we  drew  near  to  the  Holyhead 
pier,  "  Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow" 
floated  out  on  the  morning  air  with  as  deep  thanks- 
giving as  the  words  have  ever  voiced  since  Luther's 
grand  anthem  sounded  through  Germany. 

The  Holyhead  Breakwater  is  one  of  the  boasts  of 
British  engineering.  The  Holyhead  Light-house  is 
one  of  her  marine  wonders.  The  Holyhead  Harbor 
is  the  best  on  the  Welsh  coast,  and  the  town  the 
commercial  emporium  of  the  principality. 

As  our  boat  neared  the  pier,  the  keeper  of  the 
light-house  stood  on  it,  surveying  us  without  the 
formality  of  an  eye-glass. 

"  Where  is  the  best  place  to  land  the  ladies  ?" 
called  out  the  officer. 

"  Steps,"  was  the  laconic  reply. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  1 9 

"They  are  ill  and  faint.  Can  we  land  them 
anywhere  near  a  hotel  ?" 

"  Don't  know." 

"Are  there  steps  farther  up?" 

"  Yes." 

*'  Is  the  tide  so  we  can  get  to  them  ?" 

"  You  can  tell  by  trying;"  still  without  taking  his 
hands  from  his  pockets,  or  showing  the  least  sensi- 
bility. 

As  the  tide  was  ebbing,  it  was  thought  best  not  to 
try  to  reach  the  upper  steps,  but  stop  there,  cold  and 
stiff  as  all  were  from  their  long  sitting  in  cramped 
positions.  Frowzy  women  and  dirty  children  stared 
at  our  little  procession  dragging  itself  forlornly 
along  in  search  of  shelter,  until  the  Marine  Hotel 
hid  it  from  view.  Judging  by  the  ample  bar  and 
empty  larder,  strong  drink  is  the  "  staff  of  life"  in 
Wales,  and  also  its  crutches.  The  firemen  availed 
themselves  of  "  fire-water,"  while  the  passengers 
pleaded  for  fires,  and  three  or  four  hours  later  the 
replenished  larder  furnished  an  agreeable  episode. 

The  tug  "  Sea  King"  picked  up  our  scattered 
companies  and  took  us  on  to  Liverpool  with  a 
hearty  good-will  to  make  us  as  comfortable  as 
possible.  A  tin  pail  constantly  boiling  on  the  little 
cabin  stove  brewed  cocoa  for  our  refreshment,  which 


20  ^A   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

was  served  from  mouth  to  mouth  in  the  solitary  tin- 
cup  and  a  tea-cup  that  bounded  the  possibility  of  ele- 
gance, and  the  cake  thoughtfully  brought  from  the 
steward's  store  was  an  unquestioned  bond  of  equality. 
Late  in  the  night  a  grotesque  company — drunken 
firemen,  forlorn  seamen,  exasperated  officers,  hurry- 
ing police,  bewildered  revenue  collectors,  and  drag- 
gled, half-clad  travellers — filed  through  the  Liver- 
pool custom-house.  One  by  one  the  figures 
disappear,  and  clattering  cabs  rumble  away  from 
the  floating  docks, 

THE     JOURNEY     CONTINUED — LEAVES      FROM      MY 

DIARY. 

yune  15,  1880. — Last  night  left  London  by  ten 
P.M.  train  for  Liverpool,  in  the  early  twilight,  and 
at  ten  this  morning  found  myself  once  more  "  with 
only  a  plank  between  me  and  eternity."  The  pur- 
gatorial lava  that  soughs  and  surges  through  the 
caldron  that  the  Greeks  called  a  stomach,  as  we  roll 
over  the  Bay  of  Biscay  swells,  makes  thoughts  of 
time  less  tolerable. 

20th,  8  P.M. — Passing  the  Madeira  Islands,  that 
are  faintly  outlined  against  the  horizon  in  an  em- 
bankment of  feathery  clouds,  which  mount  to  the 
zenith  and  are   piled   about   the   moon   in   roseate 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  21 

heaps.  Within  the  week  the  day  has  shortened 
itself  an  hour  at  each  end.  At  nine  o'clock  the 
bright  evening  tints  are  fading. 

22d. — The  morning  sky  was  threatening,  but  the 
sun  broke  through  the  clouds  and  scattered  the 
calm  sea  with  a  million  golden  points  of  dancing, 
sparkling  light  that  involuntarily  suggested  the 
simile,  that  grand  poem  of  the  ethereal  sea : 

**  The  myriad  stars  the  gold  dust  are 
Of  thy  divine  abode." 

There  is  now  no  twilight.  The  full  moon  takes 
the  place  of  the  setting  sun.  But  for  the  moon  we 
would  be  in  midnight  darkness  within  fifteen 
minutes  after  sunset. 

2}^d. — Gray  sky,  gray  sea,  not  a  ship  in  sight,  not 
a  fish,  not  a  gull, — nothing  ! 

24//;. — Same  as  yesterday. 

2^th. — Repetition  of  the  23d.  Crossed  the  Tropic 
of  Cancer. 

26th. — Flying-fish  killed  by  alighting  on  the  deck, 
and  served  for  dinner.     Almost  dark  at  seven  p.m. 

2'jth. — Cast  anchor  before  St.  Vincent,  the  prin- 
cipal settlement  of  the  Cape  Verde  Islands,  on  the 
island  of  the  same  name.  Twenty  vessels  were  at 
anchor  in  the  bay  when  we  arrived,  one  bearing  the 


22  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

stars  and  stripes.  This  is  a  pretty  sheet  of  water, 
well  sheltered  from  winds  by  the  surrounding  islands 
that  present  a  jagged  outline  to  the  coast.  At  the 
entrance,  Bird  Rock  lifts  its  conical  head  to  a  con- 
siderable altitude  and  varies  its  outline  at  every 
movement  of  our  floating  castle.  Separated  from 
St.  Vincent  only  by  a  narrow  channel,  the  fertile 
island  of  San  Antonio  stretches  along  one  side  of 
the  bay.  Canoes  laden  with  pineapples  and  bananas 
put  out  from  it  and  hasten  toward  us  in  quest  of 
purchasers.  As  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  St.  Vin- 
cent is  a  mere  ridge  of  yellow,  rocky  hills  with 
scarce  a  sign  of  vegetation.  The  town  of  about 
three  thousand  inhabitants  hugs  the  shore  in  an 
opening  of  these  yellow  hills.  The  only  occu- 
pation is  furnished  by  vessels  that  put  in  here  for 
coal. 

Although  this  group  of  islands  is  one  of  the 
few  outlying  remnants  of  the  **  Four  Kingdoms" 
that  Portugal  once  boasted,  and  the  mass  of  the 
inhabitants  are  the  descendants  of  the  Portuguese 
and  conquered  natives  with  whom  they  amalga- 
mated, and  although  all  business  transactions  must 
conform  to  the  cumbrous  tedium  of  Portuguese 
methods,  the  bulk  of  trade  is  in  the  hands  of  the 
British.     The  coal    is   brought   from   British  mines 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  23 

in  British  vessels,  and  stored  here  for  British  gains. 
But  the  handling  is  by  Portuguese,  with  Portuguese 
despatch.  On  an  average  it  requires  twenty-four 
hours*  labor  of  fifty  men  to  discharge  one  hundred 
and  fifty  tons  in  the  hold  of  a  ship,  which  lies  half 
a  mile  from  shore,  or  firther.  The  coal,  filled  in 
gunny-sacks, — about  thirteen  sacks  to  the  ton, — 
is  towed  out  to  it  in  tub-like  iron-clad  barges. 
Two  or  three  sacks  at  a  time  are  hooked  to  the 
ship's  crane  and  drawn  up  by  the  "  nigger  engine." 
The  attendant  St.  Vincentese  laborers  catch  them 
and  empty  them  by  hand  into  the  hold.  While 
cubic  feet  of  coal  accumulate  below,  cubic  yards 
of  coal-dust  accumulate  on  deck,  until  it  is  hard 
to  distinguish  Portuguese  from  Englishmen,  whites 
from  blacks. 

The  last  three  barges  were  towed  out  together 
and  had  been  emptied,  when,  through  the  dense 
clouds  of  dust,  we  were  treated  to  a  rare  bit  of 
impromptu  acting — "  true  to  the  life  :"  the  only 
action  with  the  semblance  of  life  in  any  way  con- 
nected with  the  business  that  had  for  two  and  a 
half  days  "  dragged  its  slow  length  along."  By 
some  oversight  the  steam-tug  started  towards  shore 
with  the  three  barges  in  tow,  and  straightened  the 
cable  connecting  them,  when  it  was  discovered  that 


24 


LA  PLATA    COUNTRIES 


the  last  one  was  still  tied  to  the  ship.  Stopped  by 
the  cable's  strength,  the  occupants  of  the  three 
barges  rushed  back  and  forth,  wildly  gesticulating, 
their  loose  cotton  garments  fluttering  in  the  wind, 
while  stray  bits  of  coal  flew  from  barge  to  barge 
and  struck  the  water  in  hopeless  ineffectiveness. 
The  utter  unintelligibility  of  the  torrent  of  sound 
that  poured  from  all  mouths  at  once,  accompanied 
by  indescribable  grimaces  and  contortions,  left  a 
vague  wonder  whether  a  scene  from  the  "  Inferno" 
were  being  enacted,  or  "the  missing  link"  found. 
At  last  the  tug  came  back.  Two  men  from  it  ran 
through  the  barges,  cut  the  offending  rope  with  a 
hatchet,  and  as  hastily  retreated  to  seemingly  safer 
quarters  than  within  arm's  length  of  their  excited 
companions.  The  babble  of  excited  altercation 
floated  back  to  us  as  our  own  engine  began  to 
add  its  volume  of  smoke  to  the  overhanging 
darkness,  and  our  prow  was  once  more  turned 
toward  the  Southern  sea. 

The  San  Antonio  divers  furnished  the  passengers 
with  diversion  while  waiting  for  the  coaling.  Nude 
boys  came  in  skiff'-loads,  and  a  short  distance  from 
the  ship  .leaped  into  the  sea  regardless  of  the  sharks, 
with  which  they  disputed  the  watery  element.  Some 
swam  all  the  way  from  their  islands  to  join  in  the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


25 


"variety  performance,"  which  is  extremely  ludicrous. 

The  audience  on   deck  pay  for  the  show  by  bits  of 

money  thrown   into   the  water.     When  a  penny   is 

thrown,  down  the  divers  swoop  after  it,  like  a  flock 

of  gulls  after  a  crumb.     The  successful  competitor 

thrusts   the   coin   into   his   mouth  (the   only  pocket 

his   wardrobe   affords),  and,  coming  quickly  to  the 

surface,  motions  to   throw   him    another.       Nor   do 

these    enterprising   youths    hesitate    to    suggest    to 

their  audience  that  silver  is  more  easily  seen  in  the 

water   than    copper.     One   coin  was   so    nearly  the 

prize  of  each  of  two  contestants,  that  an  altercation 

ensued,    in   which    he    who   had    failed    seemed    to 

accuse   the   winner    of    unfairness,   and    as    a   final 

argument   in   the   case,    seized    him   by   the   throat 

and  choked   him   until  the   coin   dropped   from   his 

mouth.     But  before  he  could  take  advantage  of  the 

stratagem,  another  little  fellow  darted   under  them, 

secured   the  prize,  and  swallowed    it.     Spoiler   and 

spoiled   showed  an   equal   inclination   to    choke  the 

interloper,   but    when    his    opened    mouth    showed 

the  uselessness  of  further   action,  all   faces  and  all 

hands  were  again   directed    toward   the   deck   for  a 

new  bait.      Like   all    well-organized   troupes,  when 

the  audience  grew  thin,  the  company  moved  on. 

2StJL. — Latitude   13°   north,  dark  at  seven  p.m. 
B  3 


26  J^A   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

2gth. — Excessively  hot.  Reached  the  rain-belt 
at  four  P.M. 

;^oth. — Bade  good-by  to  the  North  star  and  hailed 
the  Southern  cross. 

jfiily  ist. — Dead  calm.  "  If  a  whale  would  only 
spout !"  "  or  a  Portuguese  man-of-war  come  to  the 
surface !"  "  anything  to  break  this  dreadful  mon- 
otony !"  Such  is  the  substance  of  conversation. 
A  sail-ship  on  the  horizon.  The  captain  says  it 
may  lie  there  two  months  without  catching  air 
enough  to  fill  its  sails. 

2d. — Sighted  St.  Paul's  Rocks,  latitude  55'  45'' 
north,  longitude  29°  2\'  west  from  Greenwich. 
Immense  volcanic  rocks  incrusted  v.'ith  white  cal- 
careous matter,  five  hundred  miles  from  the  nearest 
point  of  any  continent  and  three  hundred  miles 
from  the  nearest  island.  They  would  be  undesirable 
neighbors  in  a  storm. — Two  gulls. — The  sail  of  a 
northern-bound  vessel. — Cool  breeze. — Slight  swell. 
Five  P.M. — On  the  equator — Neptune  declines  to 
make  us  the  time-honored  visit. 

^d. — Crossed  the  western  ocean  current  on  its  way 
from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
to  be  transformed  into  the  Gulf  Stream.  There  is 
a  noticeable  difference  in  the  atmosphere  since  we 
left  the  sun  loitering  about  the  Tropic  of  Cancer. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


27 


6th. — For  three  days  have  been  rolled  and 
bumped  and  thumped  across  the  tropics  until  my 
body  is  a  mass  of  bruises  inflicted  by  the  wall  of 
my  state-room  and  the  plank  that  holds  me  into 
my  berth.  Such  attitudinizing  does  not  increase 
one's  feeling  of  self-complacency. 

gtJi. — Dead  calm  for  two  days,  but  a  storm  is 
prophesied. 

I2tli. — The  prophecy  has  been  fulfilled.  Thurs- 
day noon  we  were  again  rolling.  All  night  and 
the  next  day  and  the  next  huge  waves  broke  over 
the  ship's  sides  and  bellowed  under  the  cross-beams. 
Anon,  a  counter  wave  got  under  the  stern,  tossed 
it  in  air,  and  hissed  along  the  keel.  Then  a  head- 
wind would  snatch  the  main-mast  and  scream 
through  the  rigging,  "  Have  more  dignity  than  to 
make  fishing-tackle  of  yourselves." 

Later. — The  storm  has  lulled,  and  a  i^w  sallow 
mortals  emerge  from  their  rooms  in  quest  of  a 
corner  of  dry  deck.  But  the  "  seas"  that  are 
"shipped"  every  few  minutes  drive  them  in  again. 
Have  made  two  hundred  and  twenty-four  miles 
in  twenty-four  hours.     Sunset  at  five  p.m. 

/////. — Dense  fog.  Got  ready  for  the  life-boats. 
Supposed  to  be  fifteen  miles  from  the  Ikazilian 
Coast  Reef. 


28  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

15th. — Last  night  we  had  the  most  terrific 
thunder-storm  I  have  ever  known.  As  I  clung 
to  the  side  of  my  berth,  I  caught  glimpses  through 
the  port  of  a  sea  ablaze  with  phosphorus.  Pitch 
blackness  everywhere,  save  the  glare  of  the  light- 
ning and  the  gleam  of  the  waves. 

Ten  A.M. — The  storm  continues.  A  pilot  has 
been  taken  on  board.  This  is  rarely  done  by 
steamers  in  this  part  of  the  ocean.  Pilot-boats 
frequent  these  waters  for  the  accommodation  of 
sailing  vessels,  but  one  is  rarely  hailed  by  any  other 
craft.  However,  in  this  continued  altercation  of 
fogs  and  furies,  our  captain  has  grown  haggard. 
It  is  a  relief  to  him  to  have  a  fresh  eye  with  him 
on  the  bridge,  especially  as  it  is  now  ascertained 
that  our  ship  has  been  driven  thirty  miles  from  its 
course. 

One  P.M. — Signs  of  clearing. — Hope  revives. — 
Pass  a  shoal  of  fur  seals. 

Four  P.M. — Pampero^  coming  up. 

Five  P.M. — Have  been  compelled  to  anchor  ten 
miles  from  Montevideo  Bay.  The  waves  lash  over 
us  at  a  rate  that  leaves  all  that  has  gone  before  as 
child's  play  in  comparison. 

■*  The  pampero  is  a  severe  windstorm  from  the  southwest. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  20 

1 6th. — The  officers  agree  in  assuring  us  that  there 
is  one  blessing  about  a  pauipcro,  it  never  lasts  long. 
The  statement  is  true  of  the  one  we  have  experi- 
enced, as  compared  with 


"  The  lengthened  sweetness  long  drawn  out' 


of  the  ocean  swells  that  have  preceded  it.  The 
distinction  is  that  the  pampero  is  a  land  breeze  that 
affects  only  the  river.  And  it  now  transpires  that 
we  have  sailed  a  hundred  miles  on  the  Rio  de  la 
Plata,  without  my  suspecting  that  we  had  left  the 
ocean.  At  nine  o'clock  this  morning  we  cast  anchor 
in  Montevideo  Bay,  six  miles  from  the  Queen  City 
of  the  South  Temperate  Zone,  with  as  clear  a  sky 
arching  over  us,  and  beneath  us  as  calm  a  blue, 
tinged  with  emerald,  as  gave  me  their  benediction 
at  the  beginning  of  the  ten  thousand  seven  hundred 
miles  of  sailing,  now  happily  at  an  end. 

The  city  looks  beautiful  in  the  distance,  stretched 
in  a  semicircle  around  the  curves  of  the  bay,  flanked 
at  one  extreme  by  the  little  mountain  that  gave  it 
its  name,  and  at  the  other  by  a  strip  of  white  sandy 
beach.  As  its  towers  gleam  before  us  in  the  morn- 
ing sun,  it  is  hard  to  realize  that  few  decades  have 
passed   during  its   whole   history  without  its  walls 


«0  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

being  battered  by  besieging  armies,  and  its  streets 
drenched  with  the  blood  of  contending  factions. 

Not  a  sanguinary  hint,  not  a  hostile  suggestion 
is  now  apparent,  and  we  welcome  the  approach  of 
the  bote  de  despensero  by  which  we  are  to  reach  the 
shore.  It  has  a  seating  capacity  for  from  twenty 
to  thirty  persons,  and  storage  for  a  ton  or  two  of 
freight.  In  the  centre  is  a  mast  from  which  a 
square  sail  is  rigged.  The  crew  consists  of  two 
semi-naturalized  Genoese,  one  of  whom  steers  and 
the  other  takes  care  of  the  sail.  As  it  veers  from 
side  to  side,  and  its  base  pole  strikes  here  a  shoulder 
and  there  a  head,  we  could  almost  wish  he  would 
give  a  little  attention  to  the  passengers.  But  the 
wish  is  hardly  formed  when  a  volley  of  unintelligi- 
ble apologies  shows  that  the  thought  does  him 
injustice.  And  before  the  apologies  are  ended,  an- 
other blow  in  another  quarter  calls  them  all  out 
again.  I  attempt  a  conversation,  which,  between 
their  broken  Italian  and  my  broken  Spanish,  bids 
fair  to  yield  me  some  convenient  bits  of  information, 
until  we  begin  to  get  the  threads  of  each  other's 
discourse  only  to  find  that  we  are  talking  upon 
different  subjects.  After  repeated  efforts  of  this 
kind,  always  with  the  same  result,  the  bote  draws 
up   to   the   slippery  steps   of  the   pier,  from  which 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  3 1 

the  tide  is  receding,  having  made  the  six  miles  in 
an  hour  and  twenty  minutes.  The  pier  extends 
from  the  point  of  the  little  peninsula  that,  until 
within  a  quarter  of  a  century,  contained  the  entire 
city.  A  short  walk  brings  us  to  the  customs-house, 
whose  open  door  now  courts  our  entrance.  It  is 
a  two-story  stuccoed  building,  than  which  many 
inferior  ones  may  be  found  in  cities  of  the  United 
States  not  without  considerable  commercial  pre- 
tensions. 


CHAPTER    II. 

SCENES  IN  MONTEVIDEO. 

Patience  is  a  cardinal  virtue.  There  may  be 
better  places  for  acquiring  it,  but  there  can  be  none 
better  for  practising  it  than  the  customs-house 
whose  portals  so  invitingly  beckoned  us.  But  the 
moment  the  traveller  has  received  the  polite  intima- 
tion from  the  customs  officer  that  the  freedom  of 
the  city  is  his,  half  a  dozen  chayicaderos  are  ready 
to  pounce  upon  their  prey.  The  chancadcro  is  the 
compeer  of  the  Jehu  that  haunts  the  suburbs  of 
railway   stations    in   the    United    States.      But    he 


32  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

flourishes  no  whip  in  the  face  of  his  victim,  neither 
points  to  yellow  omnibus  nor  tattered  "  hack"  and 
vociferates  "  Kurrij  !  Kurrij  !"  His  humble  aspira- 
tion is  to  carry  hand  baggage,  a  self-service  which, 
in  the  glamour  of  this  land  of  independence,  liberty, 
and  equality,  to  a  gentleman  or  lady  would  be  an 
un-to-be-thought-of  degradation.  Custom  exoner- 
ates the  chancadero  from  that  superfluity  of  attire 
that  insists  upon  adding  the  burden  of  a  cockade  to 
the  honor  of  a  whip.  His  feet,  guiltless  of  stock- 
ings, are  shod  in  alpergatas^  the  Spanish-American 
canvas  shoe  with  braided  straw  soles,  which  is  held 
to  the  foot  with  a  strio  of  blue  or  red  cotton  cloth, 
wound  around  the  ankle  and  crossed  over  the  instep. 
His  short,  loose  cotton  trousers  are  girt  about  his 
waist  with  a  cotton  string  or  leather  thong,  over 
which  in  many  folds  is  wound  a  long,  broad  girdle, 
that  serves  a  variety  of  purposes  according  to  the 
demands  of  his  carrying  trade.  His  open  shirt- 
collar  thrown  back  exposes  his  tawny  chest,  and  a 
bright  cotton  handkerchief  loosely  knotted  around 
his  neck  serves  him  for  the  many  purposes  for  which 
baskets  are  elsewhere  used.  At  the  market,  he 
drops  the  beefsteak  and  onions  for  his  patron's 
breakfast  into  this  handkerchief,  just  as  naturally  as 
he  and  his  companions  slip  their  loosened  girdles 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


33 


under  his  piano-forte  and  around  their  necks  and 
march  off  with  it  on  moving  day.  A  canvas  cap,  a 
colored  turban,  or  a  slouch  hat  completes  his  cos- 
tume. A  stranger  may  be  deceived  by  his  protesta- 
tion that  he  will  carry  any  hand  baggage  for  a 
certain  amount  and  be  therewith  content,  but  a 
resident,  never.  If  the  few  pounds  chance  to  be 
in  several  packages,  and,  with  all  the  motions  of  a 
jumping-jack  thrice  repeated,  he  asserts  his  ability 
to  carry  them  on  one  arm,  there  is  no  cause  for 
surprise  if  he  distributes  them  among  his  compan- 
ions, and  each  demands  for  his  part  of  the  service 
the  original  amount  stipulated  for  the  whole.  It  is 
a  legitimate  mode  of  complimenting  one  on  tb.e 
acknowledged  superiority  of  his  social  position,  and 
profiting  thereby.  If  his  demand  be  granted,  his 
outstretched  hand  still  waits  for  a  napa^  for  which 
he  pleads  volubly.  But  if  his  demand  is  not 
granted,  his  thanks  for  what  he  does  get  are  ex- 
pressed as  profusely  as  the  most  copious  language 
will  admit,  and  he  goes  off  apparently  as  happy  as 
if  he  had  received  the  whole. 

Cabs  made  in  England  wait  a  beckoning  finger, 
and  when  the  signal  is  given  a  cJiancadero  hastens  to 
open  the  door,  for  which  he  expects  a  coin.  He 
may  then  run  along  keeping  pace  with  the  carriage 


34 


LA    PLATA    COUNTRIES 


to  the  end  of  the  ride,  regardless  of  distance,  ready 
again  to  open  the  door  and  receive  another  coin. 
The  charge  for  a  cab  is  one  dollar  per  hour, 
chancadero  not  included. 

The  first  impression  received  in  Montevideo  is 
that  no  one  is  In  a  hurry. 

The  shifting  scenes  in  the  Uruguayan  capital  are 
not  fac-simlles  of  those  enacted  In  New  York.  A 
baker  passes  on  a  mule  that  would  be  no  credit  to 
a  freedman's  plantation  after  the  army  worm,  the 
chinch  bug,  and  the  grasshopper  had  been  through 
his  section.  The  panadero^  happily  unconscious  of 
such  comparisons,  trots  composedly  over  the  cobble- 
stones, carrying  his  loaves  in  two  enormous  cow- 
hide pannier  baskets  swung  across  his  mule,  above 
which  he  sits  sldewise  on  an  indescribable  looking 
something  that  does  duty  for  a  saddle.  Close  at  his 
heels  is  a  milkman  with  his  cans  strung  by  the  side 
of  his  steed  in  pouches  made  of  strips  of  rawhide. 
Down  a  cross  street  comes  another  with  chickens 
tied  by  the  legs  and  dangling  at  the  sides  of  his 
Rosinante.  And  there  yet  another,  with  hairy  cow- 
hide baskets  only  less  capacious  than  those  of  the 
baker,  and  half  a  dozen  hens  sitting  on  each.  His 
stentorian  voice  Informs  housekeepers  two  or  three 
squares   In  advance  that  there  are  fresh  eggs  in  the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


35 


baskets.  It  is  midwinter,  but  everywhere  men  are 
walking  about  leisurely  selling'  flowers,  everywhere 
women  promenade  the  sidewalks  with  lace  thrown 
over  their  heads,  tastefully  fastened  to  the  heavy 
braids  of  their  jet-black  hair,  and  carrying  that 
indispensable  part  of  a  Spanish  lady's  wardrobe,  a 
fan,  which  here  serves  all  the  purposes  of  a  parasol, 
and  on  narrow  sidewalks  is  much  less  in  the  way. 

Next  to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Montevideo  is  the  finest 
city  in  the  world  south  of  the  equator.  Its  site  is 
all  that  could  be  asked  for  a  great  commercial  em- 
porium as  well  as  for  the  local  habitat  of  a  cultured 
and  aesthetic  humanity.  It  stands  out  boldly  on  a 
rocky  peninsula  that  rises  gradually  as  it  recedes* 
from  the  shore  and  then  declines  more  gradually  to 
the  bed  of  a  little  stream  that  empties  into  the  bay 
about  two  miles  above  the  point.  Thus  the  entire 
site  of  the  city  has  a  natural  surface  drainage  and 
the  best  possible  facilities  for  the  most  perfect  un- 
derground sewerage.  Despite  the  imperfection  of 
the  latter,  Montevideo  is  a  clean  and,  consequently, 
a  healthy  city.  The  pelting  rains  that  drench  its 
paved  streets  and  force  all  surface  accretions  into 
the  sea,  leave  them  with  the  appearance  of  having 
been  cleansed  with  broom  9*r  scrubbing-brush.  The 
streets  are  all  paved  with  cobble-stones  and,  gener- 


^6  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

ally,  the  sidewalks  with  broad  flag-stones.  In  some 
parts  these  are  also  paved  with  cobble-stones,  al- 
though, more  usually,  where  flag-stones  are  not  in 
use,  tile  or  brick  take  their  place.  The  old  walled 
town  of  three  centuries*  growth  was  confined  to  the 
peninsula,  which  is  only  one  mile  long  and  a  little 
more  than  half  as  broad.  In  it  the  streets  are 
narrow  and  irregular,  and  the  sidewalks  almost  dis- 
appear. This  section  is  now  densely  packed  with 
business  houses,  especially  shipping  offices  and 
other  buildings  connected  with  marine  interests, 
plentifully  interspersed  with  drinking  establishments. 
Until  the  treaty  of  1859,  by  which  Great  Britain, 
Brazil,  and  the  Argentine  Republic  guaranteed  the 
independence  of  Uruguay,  Montevideo  felt  the  ne- 
cessity^ of  a  continual  readiness  to  repel  a  bom- 
bardment, and  the  surrounding  wall  was  sur- 
mounted by  guns.  With  the  unwonted  tranquillity 
that  followed  that  treaty,  the  guns  fell  into  disuse, 
but  the  wall  was  not  wholly  removed  until  1875, 
nor  are  the  m^^irks  of  its  whereabouts  yet  entirely 
obliterated.  Whc^n  the  city  outgrew  those  swad- 
dling bands,  it  ga/e  breadth  to  its  thoroughfares 
commensurate  with  the  expanding  thought  of  a 
people  who  had  sprun<^  into  national  being.  Calle 
Florida,  which  marks  the  end  of  the  old  and  the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  37 

beginning  of  the  new  city,  is  sixty  feet  wide,  and 
the  same  hbcrality  of  territory  extends  to  many 
others.  Calle  Diez-y-ocho-de-Julio  (18th  of  July), 
or,  as  it  would  be  called  in  the  United  States, 
"  Independence  Street,"  is  one  hundred  feet  wide 
and  two  miles  long.  It  begins  at  Government 
square, — the  plaza  of  the  old  town, — crosses  Calle 
Florida  at  a  right  angle,  and  ends  in  another 
public  plaza,  of  equal  size.  The  first  serves  as  a 
review  ground  for  government  troops.  The  last 
is  gorgeous  with  beds  of  flowers  and  delightful 
with  the  shade  of  subtropical  trees  and  shrubs,  to 
the  enjoyment  of  which  smooth  winding  walks  in- 
vite the  pedestrian.  Midway  between  these  is  yet 
another  plaza,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  the  only 
public  monument  in  the  Republic  of  Uruguay,  the 
Statue  of  Liberty,  on  a  fluted  column  forty  feet 
high.  The  whole  length  of  the  street  is  nicely 
pav^ed,  and  the  broad  sidewalks  are  flanked  by 
double  rows  of  paradise  and  palm  trees.  These, 
in  their  turn,  are  flanked  by  the  most  aristocratic 
business  houses  of  the  city,  especially  retail  dry 
goods  and  jewellers'  establishments. 

The  people  have  not  lost  the  relish  for  public 
pageants  sedulously  fostered  by  the  Spanish  set- 
tlers  for  three   hundred   }'ears   in   the   New  World, 

4 


38 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


and  for  three  times  three  hundred  by  their  an^ 
cestors  in  the  Old  World.  For  these,  no  better 
accommodations  could  be  asked  than  are  afforded 
by  Calle  Diez-y-ocho.  It  is  always  beautifully 
lighted  at  night  with  gas,  but  on  occasion  of  the 
grand  fiestas  no  expense  is  spared  to  make  it 
magnificent.  Tasteful  draperies  hang  from  every 
balcony.  Bright-colored  camibrics  are  draped 
across  the  street  from  balustrade  to  balustrade  of 
the  flat  roofs,  and  from  tree  to  tree.  From  the 
branches  of  the  trees  also  depend  hundreds  of 
bright  paper  lanterns  and  globes  of  light  of  every 
device.  At  intervals  arches  span  the  street  with 
fanciful  designs  in  gas  jets.  Through  this  glare 
of  light  in  this  fairy-like  scene,  the  long  proces- 
sion moves  up  one  side  of  the  street  and  down 
the  other  to  the  sound  of  music.  The  many 
events,  religious  and  political,  that  are  scrupu- 
lously celebrated  leave  few  weeks  without  a  proces- 
sion. That  of  the  i8th  of  July,  the  anniversary  of 
the  Uruguayan  declaration  of  independence,  calls 
out  the  greatest  enthusiasm  and  the  most  lavish 
expenditure. 

The  common  building  material  is  a  coarse,  hard- 
baked  brick,  measuring  thirteen  inches  in  length, 
six  in  breadth,  and  two  in  thickness.     It  is  so  porous 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  30 

that  the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere  easily  pene- 
trates the  houses  through  the  walls  and  any  damp- 
ness of  the  ground  as  easily  rises  through  the  floors. 
The  walls  are  plastered  both  outside  and  in,  orna- 
mented with  a  profusion  of  stucco  designs  and 
plaster-of-Paris  mouldings,  and  color-washed  in 
every  variety  of  shade  from  deep  red  to  pale  blue, 
canary  color,  and  lavender.  Formerly  the  political 
colors,  red  and  white,  were  conspicuous.  Now  they 
are  in  a  measure  giving  way  to  shades  of  brown  and 
slate,  more  grateful  to  the  eye.  Window  and  door- 
facings,  thresholds,  and  stair-steps  are  of  Italian 
marble  in  all  the  best  class  of  buildings.  Dwellings 
are  built  around  an  inner  court,  called  d.  patio, ^  after 
the  Moorish  style  of  architecture.  Fifteen  French 
feet  is  the  usual  width  of  a  room  and  height  of  a 
ceiling.  Except  the  one  or  two  looking  on  the 
street,  the  rooms  are  lighted  only  by  glass  in  the 
upper  half  of  the  double  door  opening  into  the 
patio.  No  front  yard  or  tiny  grass-plot  separates 
the  city  home  from  the  sidewalk.  The  family  is 
protected  from  possible  depredations  from  that 
quarter  by  iron  gratings  over  the  windows,  called 
rcjas.     ]\Iany  rcjas  are  of  artistic  design.     Many  are 

*  Pronounced  paf'-e-O. 


40 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


merely  straight  iron  bars.  In  either  case,  much  time 
is  required  to  overcome  the  impression  of  a  prison 
made  by  them  and  the  continuous  walls,  there  being 
no  spaces  or  area  walks  between  the  buildings. 
An  occasional  new  house  without  the  rejas,  or  with 
them  only  on  the  lower  part  of  the  windows,  indi- 
cates an  increased  sense  of  security  among  the 
people.  On  the  principal  streets  a  fair  proportion 
of  the  houses  are  two  stories  high.  In  this  case 
each  story  is  a  separate  dwelling,  and  the  patio  of 
the  upper  house  is  the  roof  of  a  part  of  the  lower 
one.  A  balcony  overhanging  the  lower  patio  sup- 
plies to  the  upper  dwelling  the  place  of  the  "  hall" 
in  a  North  American  house.  The  patio  serves  the 
same  purpose  in  the  lower  house.  In  the  more  pre- 
tentious houses  the  patios  are  paved  with  marble, 
two  or  three  colors  often  being  formed  into  simple 
mosaic  patterns.  Sandstone,  limestone,  and  granite 
are  also  used.  More  common  than  either  is  the 
baldosa^  a  glazed  tile  rather  more  than  an  inch  thick 
and  eight  inches  square.  In  the  poorer  houses 
common  building  brick  suffices  for  both  patio  and 
floor.  The  baldosa  is  the  commion  roofing  material. 
The  roofs  are  flat  and  surrounded  by  a  wall  or 
balustrade  from  two  to  three  feet  high.  But  little 
timber  is  used  in  the  structure,  except  for  rafters  to 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


41 


support  the  baldosa  roofs,  doors,  and  window-sash. 
New  and  expensive  houses  have  wooden  floors,  the 
sawed  flooring  for  which  comes  from  the  United 
States.  Window-glass  is  brought  from  France,  and 
the  necessary  iron  fixtures  mostly  from  England. 
Two-story  houses  have  a  balcony  overhanging  the 
street,  from  which  groups  of  ladies  often  manifest  a 
lively  interest  in  the  passing  events  of  this  mundane 
sphere.  An  occasional  mirador  rising  from  the  roof 
gives  a  small  room,  with  or  without  glass  enclosure, 
for  the  same  purpose.  When  the  heat  of  the  sun  is  not 
too  intense  the  roof  furnishes  a  pleasant  promenade 
for  older  people  and  a  play-ground  for  the  children, 
where,  as  they  inhale  the  invigorating  ocean  breezes, 
the  eye  may  wander  over  the  broad  expanse  of  roofs 
— where,  perchance,  other  happy  groups  are  assem- 
bled— out  on  the  bay  filled  with  sails  from  many 
lands,  and  around  the  curve  of  the  coast  where  the 
first  glimpse  may  be  had  of  the  incoming  steamers. 
The  sunlight  fades  away,  and  one  by  one  the  stars 
come  out  in  the  clear  sky.  The  moon  sheds  down 
its  silvery  radiance.  Friends,  perhaps,  are  added  for 
an  hour  to  the  family  group  on  the  house-top.  A 
little  servant  brings  up  the  mate  cup,  which  passes 
from  hand  to  hand,  and  the  fragrant  tea  is  leisurely 
sucked  through  the  silver  tube,  as  the  soft  murmur 


4* 


42 


LA   PLATA   COUNTRIES 


of  voices  mingles  with  the  sough  of  the  surf  Little 
eyes  grow  heavy,  and  one  by  one  little  heads  are  laid 
to  rest  and  hands  are  clasped  in  those  of  the  angel 
of  sleep.  The  rumble  of  carts  and  all  the  harsher 
sounds  of  busy  life  die  away.  Pleasure-seekers 
return  from  theatre  and  turtulia.  Now  only  the 
watchman's  prolonged  cry  is  heard:  ^^ L-a-s  d-o-c-e 
h-a-n  t-o-c-a-d-o  y  t-o-d-o  s-e-r-e-n-o ;''  and  at  last, 
under  the  pale  moonlight  and  guarded  by  the  sea, 
the  city  sleeps. 

Of  the  inhabitants  of  Montevideo,  of  Uruguay, 
and  of  all  the  La  Plata,  there  are  two  distinct 
classes,  the  gente  decente  (literally  decent  people) 
and  the  pe-ons,  or  laborers.  The  first  includes  the 
pure-blooded  descendants  of  the  original  Spanish 
settlers.  They  engage  in  war,  politics,  the  learned 
professions  and  commerce,  but  never  in  any  kind 
of  manual  labor  unless  driven  to  it  by  dire  necessity, 
and  even  then  few  indeed  but  would  prefer  genteel 
dependence  or  even  beggary.  They  are  fastidious 
in  dress,  punctilious  in  etiquette,  dignified  in  de- 
meanor, suave  in  conversation,  haughty  in  their 
self-esteem,  and  a  trifle  vain  of  long,  transparent 
finger-nails,  which  the  dandy  sometimes  cultivates 
till  long  enough  to  make  a  pen-point.  The  ladies 
dress  elegantly  in  European  styles  and  fabrics,  are 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


43 


social,  vivacious,  and  versatile  in  conversation,  dance 
gracefully,  are  devoted  to  music,  embroidery,  re- 
ligious exercises,  and  mate  drinking,  and  leave 
household  care  to  their  servants.  The  peon  is  the 
descendant  of  the  conquered,  amalgamated,  or  re- 
duced Indians.  He  has  never  been  anything  but 
a  laborer,  a  species  of  beast  of  burden,  and  rarely 
shows  an  awakening  aspiration  for  a  better  lot. 
In  both  classes  there  are  an  infinitude  of  grades, 
but  the  labor  line  divides  the  two  as  distinctly  as 
the  color  line  separates  the  freedman  and  white 
citizen  of  the  United  States.  One  class  absorbs 
the  learned  and  mercantile  residents  from  other 
countries,  the  other  the  laboring  emigrants,  who, 
however,  have  a  better  prospect  of  eventually  over- 
stepping the  dividing  line  and  joining  the  upper 
class.  Numerous  servants  of  the  one  class  are 
essential  members  of  the  household  of  the  other. 
Even  the  poorest  of  the  gente  must  contrive  to 
be  able  to  allude  to  some  one  as  **  my  servant"  in 
order  to  retain  his  self-respect. 

The  conventillo  is  the  home  of  the  laborer.  This 
is  a  row  of  rooms  without  communicating  doors. 
Each  room  is  occupied  by  one  or  more  families. 
The  inclosed  ground  called  3.fo?ido  is  left  unpaved, 
and   is    occupied  jointly   by   all   the   families.     An 


44 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


ordinary  dwelling-house,  when  it  is  no  longer  fit 
to  rent  to  a  wealthier  tenant,  is  often  turned  into 
a  conventillo.  As  the  walls  are  continuous  and  the 
rejas  shield  all  windows  alike,  except  in  superior 
finish,  there  is  no  street  distinction  between  the 
homes  of  the  poor  and  the  rich.  It  is  only  by 
glimpses  through  the  gratings  of  open  doors  or 
windows  that  a  hint  is  givQn  of  the  life  beyond. 
To  all  alike,  every  class  of  family  supplies  is  taken 
in  through  the  street  door.  Rarely,  indeed,  is  there 
any  other  entrance.  A  horse  and  carriage  are 
sometimes  admitted  by  it. 

The  government  buildings  occupy  tvvo  sides  of 
the  government  plaza,  from  which  Calle  Diez-y-ocho 
begins.  They  are  two  stories  high,  of  ordinary 
building  brick,  stuccoed,  and  with  nothing  dis- 
tinctive in  their  architecture,  except  a  wide  porch 
along  the  entire  front  supported  by  rather  massive 
Corinthian  columns.  It  is  the  avowed  intention  to 
continue  this  colonnade  down  the  third  side  of  the 
plaza.  When  completed  it  will  be  one  of  the  most 
artistic,  imposing,  and  comfortable  of  promenades. 
The  conception  is  in  keeping  with  the  great  ideals 
that  seem  ever  to  float  in  the  liberated  Spanish- 
American  mind.  Unfortunately,  in  many  enter- 
prises, the  greatness  of  the  ideal  and  the  poverty 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


45 


of  the  treasury  induces  a  compromise ;  and  by  the 
use  of  cheap  material  the  present  aesthetic  effect 
is  sought  at  the  expense  of  durabihty,  and  a  tawdry 
imitation  rather  than  the  true  expression  of  tlie 
ideal   is  the  result. 

The  Church  of  the  Matriz,  or  Cathedral  of 
Montevideo,  occupies  the  fourth  side  of  the  plaza. 
It  is  the  largest  and  finest  building  in  Uruguay,  the 
only  monument  left  to  the  little  Republic  by  the 
Jesuits,  and  one  of  the  four  bequeathed  by  that 
order  to  the  countries  that  have  since  grown  out 
of  the  old  Spanish  Viceroyalty  of  Buenos  Ayres. 
Devoid  of  all  tawdry  attempts  at  magnificence,  it 
is  a  specimen  of  architecture  to  delight  the  eye 
yvith  its  solid  restfulness  of  outline.  In  it  the  most 
august  ceremonies  of  the  Romish  Church  are 
performed.  Here  I  witnessed  the  ceremony  of  the 
"  Holy  Function  of  Blessing  the  Candles,"  per- 
formed by  "  The  Most  Holy  Bishop   of  Uruguay." 

When  the  bell  in  the  great  tower  rang  at  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  long  aisles  were  al- 
ready crowded.  From  behind  the  crimson  cur- 
tains at  the  entrance  of  the  left  transept  came  a 
procession  of  small  boys  each  carrying  a  long 
silver  standard  with  a  wax  taper.  The  boys  were 
followed  by  priests  ranged  according  to  their  sev- 


46 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


eral  orders.  The  first  In  long  black  robes  and 
bareheaded.  The  next  added  their  pointed  sacer- 
dotal caps.  Then  one,  aged  and  tottering,  walked 
alone,  in  a  faded  purple  mantle.  Others  followed 
in  short  linen  gowns,  and  last  came  the  Bishop, 
whose  feeble  steps  were  supported  by  a  priest  on 
either  side,  who,  over  their  black  gowns,  wore 
linen  overskirts  trimmed  with  deep  lace  reaching 
to  the  knee,  and  over  their  shoulders  rich  satin 
surplices  covered  with  heavy  gold  embroidery. 
The  Bishop  also  wore  the  long  linen  overdress 
bordered  with  deep  lace,  and  his  square  satin  sur- 
plice was  even  more  elaborately  embroidered  than 
those  of  his  supporters.  On  his  head  he  wore  a 
high,  pointed  satin  cap,  in  shape  not  unlike  one 
sometimes  seen  on  the  head  of  a  small  boy  in 
pictures  of  the  village  school. 

The  procession  went  three  times  around  the 
high  altar,  each  time  saluting  the  image  of  ''The 
Queen  of  Heaven"  that  filled  the  niche  over  it. 
The  Bishop  was  then  conducted  to  his  reading 
desk,  opposite  to  which,  on  the  platform,  chairs 
were  placed  for  the  priests.  He  then  intoned  a 
short  address.  Whether  in  Latin,  Spanish,  or 
Guarani  it  mattered  little,  as  the  only  part  dis- 
tinguishable  was    the    syllable    on,  which   occurred 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


A7 


at  regular  intervals  and  was  much  prolonged. 
Throughout  he  kept  up  a  feeble  motion  with  his 
hands,  which  was  probably  meant  as  an  invocation 
of  the  "  Mother  of  God,"  as  in  making  it  he 
turned  his  eyes  toward  the  image,  gorgeous  in 
satin,  lace,  and  jewels. 

The  address  ended,  he  was  seated  on  the  plat- 
form opposite  to  the  priests,  and  an  armful  of  can- 
dles about  three  feet  long  laid  beside  him.  Each 
priest  then  in  turn  knelt  to  the  image,  then  to  the 
Bishop,  kissed  the  Bishop's  ring,  received  a  candle 
from  his  hand,  again  knelt  to  the  image,  and  re- 
turned to  his  chair.  The  supporters  who  waited 
upon  him  throughout  also  received  each  a  candle, 
kneeling  and  kissing  the  ring.  More  armfuls  of 
candles  were  brought  in.  The  boys  who  acted  as 
torch-bearers  and  bell-ringers  next  each  knelt, 
kissed  the  ring,  and  received  a  candle.  (I  was  told 
that  these  boys  and  all  who  appear  in  similar  cer- 
emonies are  hired  for  the  occasion,  a  rc-al  being 
the  usual  price  paid  by  the  priests  for  such  services.) 

The  procession  again  formed  and  made  the 
round  of  the  cathedral  with  ringing  of  bells, 
swinging  of  censers,  and  the  chanting  of  priests. 
It  halted  and  burned  incense  before  each  of  the 
twelve  images   in    the  side    aisles.     Before   two   of 


48 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


them  the  poor  old  Bishop  knelt  painfully  and 
wrung  his  hands  imploringly.  (He  died  soon  after 
this.  He  was  spoken  of  as  a  "  good  man,"  an  un- 
usual reputation  for  a  priest.)  When  he  had  once 
more  been  conducted  to  his  seat,  many  persons  in 
the  assembly  who  had  brought  candles  with  them 
took  them  to  him  to  be  sanctified  by  his  touch. 
They,  too,  knelt  first  to  the  image,  then  to  the 
Bishop,  and  kissed  the  ring.  Some  of  these  pri- 
vate candles,  representing  wealth,  were  long  enough 
to  serve  as  walking-sticks  and  were  profusely  or- 
namented. Others  would  cost  not  more  than  a 
penny.  But  whether  they  represented  poverty  or 
wealth,  the  evident  satisfaction  with  which  they 
were  carried  away  was  the  same.  The  exhausted 
Bishop  was  at  last  pompously  reconducted  behind 
the  crimson  curtains,  whither  more  candles  and 
more  devotees  followed  him. 

The  audience  lingered.  Two  priests  in  heavy 
gold-embroidered  mantles  came  before  the  high 
altar  and  conducted  a  service  that  consisted  princi- 
pally of  ringing  bells,  burning  incense,  and  repeat- 
edly seating  themselves  in  high-backed  chairs,  over 
the  backs  of  which  the  boys  in  waiting  straightened 
their  mantles.  The  people  meantime  knelt  in  the 
body  of  the  church  and  many  bowed  to  the  floor. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


49 


After  this,  a  third  priest  in  satin  took  his  stand 
before  the  Altar  of  Luhilgcnccs  at  the  head  of  tlie 
right  aisle  and  began  a  ceremony  before  the  silk- 
robed  image  that  stood  with  outstretched  hand 
above  it.  Among  her  votaries  I  noticed  two  old 
women  in  the  garments  of  poverty,  who,  kneeling, 
bowed  their  stiffened  bodies  painfully  till  their 
haggard  faces  were  pressed  to  the  floor,  then 
raised  themselves  laboriously  only  to  repeat  the 
process. 

Almost  every  week  witnesses  some  "  High  Fun- 
cion"  in  the  cathedral,  and  no  day  in  the  calendar 
but  is  marked  for  some  special  religious  ceremony 
in  honor  of  some  object  of  worship.  For,  although 
the  capital  city  of  Uruguay  is  a  commercial  empo- 
rium, it  is  also  a  "city  of  the  gods"  or  rather  of 
the  goddesses,  as  these  seem  to  have  the  pre-em- 
inence, alike  in  numbers,  costly  paraphernalia,  and 
devotion.  Other  churches  in  different  parts  of  the 
city  are  only  less  imposing  than  the  Matriz. 
Also,  a  few  shrines  in  the  walls  on  the  streets  ac- 
commodate the  pedestrian  worshipper.  Monasteries 
and  nunneries  are  seen  in  all  directions,  and  rep- 
resentatives of  numerous  "  orders"  are  encoun- 
tered   everywhere.     Many  of  the    signs  over    shop 

doors  make  rather  astounding  revelations,  such  as — • 
c       d  5 


50 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


that  poor  Job   keeps  coffins,  St.   Peter  is  a  baker, 
Jesus  Christ  a  confectioner,  etc. 

Montevideo  has  two  Protestant  churches,  both 
located  in  the  old  part  of  the  city,  and  both  easily 
reached  by  street  cars.  The  first  was  built  by 
English  residents  in  1846.  In  it  the  Anglican 
Episcopal  service  is  maintained  under  the  control 
of  the  "  South  American  Missionary  Society,"  for 
the  convenience  and  comfort  of  British  subjects. 
Services  in  the  Spanish  language  were  added  in 
1880.  The  other  is  that  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal denomination,  whose  service  is  maintained 
by  the  "  Foreign  Missionary  Society"  of  that  or- 
ganization in  the  United  States.  It  stationed  a 
minister  here  in  1875.  In  1882  the  old  theatre 
that  had  served  it  as  a  place  of  worship  was  re- 
paired and  remodelled  at  a  cost  of  ^2500.  Of 
this  sum  ;^iooo  was  donated  by  the  Government 
of  Uruguay.  The  work  of  these  two  societies  and 
of  the  Bible  societies  of  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  are  the  only  advantage  yet  taken  by 
Protestant  Christendom  of  the  decree  of  religious 
toleration  promulgated  by  the  Government  of  Uru- 
guay at  the  beginning  of  its  existence. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


51 


CHAPTER    III. 


POrULAR  AMUSEMENTS. 


The  tiu'tulia,  or  dancing  party,  is  a  favorite  amuse- 
ment of  Montevideans,  scarcely  second  to  religious 
festivals.  But  of  all  amusements  the  bull-fi£:ht 
seems  to  meet  the  highest  appreciation. 

The  bull-ring  is  three  miles  beyond  the  city  limit. 
A  hollow  brick  wall,  twenty  feet  high,  encloses  a 
circular  tract  of  several  acres.  The  upper  seats  are 
on  a  level  with  the  platform  at  the  top  of  the  waM. 
Within  the  wall  and  under  the  seats  are  the  com- 
partments for  the  horses,  the  cages  for  the  bulls, 
dressing-rooms  for  the  actors,  the  home  of  the 
janitor,  and  a  drinking-saloon.  The  best  private 
box  belongs  to  the  government.  Over  it  is  the 
Uruguay  coat-of-arms,  and  it  is  always  occupied  by 
government  officials.  The  President  of  the  Repub- 
lic holds  the  post  of  honor  as  head  of  the  bull- 
fight, as  does  the  king  in  Spain.  The  manager's 
box  is  opposite  to  that  of  the  government.      From 


52 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


it,  with  his  keen  eye,  he  directs  the  entertainments. 
There  are  several  boxes  taken  by  the  aristocracy 
and  one  by  the  municipahty.  Aside  from  these 
there  are  seats  for  7000  spectators  and  standing 
room  for  about  loco.  A  ticket  for  an  open  seat 
costs  $5.  The  Tauromachian  Company  is  as  regu- 
larly organized  as  any  opera  troupe.  They  come 
from  Spain,  where  all  the  actors  are  trained  and 
all  the  rules  governing  them  made. 

Sunday  is  the  day  for  bull-fights,  although  a  feast 
day  is  occasionally  honored  by  one.  **  The  Season" 
begins  in  December,  and  lasts  about  four  months, 
during  which  time  the  exhibition  is  opened  regu- 
larly at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  For  days 
beforehand  the  newspapers  are  full  of  sensational 
advertisements,  and  for  days  succeeding  reviews  give 
technical  details,  and  artistic  criticisms  crowd  out 
other  matter.  Spectators  come  from  Buenos  Ayres 
and  more  remote  places  by  hundreds.  Steamers 
make  special  excursions  for  them. 

When  the  hour  has  arrived,  and  all  is  in  readi- 
ness, the  President  of  the  Republic,  in  behalf  of 
the  nation,  indicates  to  the  manager  that  the  sport 
may  begin.  The  manager  gives  the  signal.  The 
band  strikes  up  a  spirited  march,  and  three  picadorcs^ 
three  bandcrilleros^   and   two    espadas   enter,   march 


OF  sour II  AMERICA. 


53 


around  the  arena,  and  salute  the  government  offi- 
cials. The  picadores  are  horsemen  wearing  padded 
trousers,  lined  with  cowhide,  to  prevent  the  horns 
of  the  bull  penetrating  the  flesh.  They  wear  broad- 
brimmed  hats.  Brilliant  capes  hang  gracefully  over 
the  arm.  The  bandcrillcros  wear  knee-breeches, 
magnificently  embroidered  down  the  sides  in  parti- 
colors.  The  waists  are  a  glittering  net-work  of  jet. 
They  wear  black  caps  and  small  capes,  and  carry 
slender  rods  about  a  foot  long,  with  a  barb  on  one 
end  and  a  tassel  on  the  other.  The  espadas  are 
dressed  in  satin,  yellow  or  some  other  bright  color. 
Their  knee-breeches  are  elaborately  embroidered 
with  red,  white,  and  green.  The  upper  part  of 
their  dress  is  a  blaze  of  silver  or  gold  embroidery, 
and  throws  scintillations  of  light  with  every  step. 
They  wear  black  caps,  glowing  capes,  and  long 
swords,  well  calculated  to  set  off  faces  full  of 
haughty  pride,  fire,  and  cruelty. 

When  the  gate  is  opened  the  bull  (which  has 
already  been  tortured  in  its  cell)  bounds  into  the 
arena,  and  is  saluted  with  the  firing  of  torpedoes. 
He  is  expected  to  look  around  him,  panting,  and 
paw  the  earth  furiously.  If  he  fail  in  these  indi- 
cations   of   spirit    the    trainer    is    ready    to    commit 

suicide.      For   a    native    trainer   to   produce  a   bull 

5* 


54 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


more  fierce  than  those  imported  from  Spain  is  to 
make  a  hero  of  him,  and  a  public  ovation  is  given 
him.  While  the  bull  is  pawing  the  earth  a  picadore 
rides  up  and  flaunts  his  cape  or  a  red  flag  in  the 
animal's  face.  The  bull  rushes  at  full  speed  upon 
horse  and  rider,  but  just  as  its  horns  are  lowered 
to  gore  them  the  rider  makes  a  quick  turn,  and 
another  picadore  flaunts  the  hated  color  before  its 
eyes.  They  thus  draw  the  danger  from  each  other. 
Sometimes  a  bull  kills  as  many  as  eight  horses  in 
succession,  and  as  their  entrails  drag  the  ground 
the  air  rings  with  the  applause  of  the  spectators. 
The  more  horses  a  bull  can  kill  before  yielding  to 
its  fate  the  greater  the  eclat  of  the  occasion,  the 
brighter  the  smiles  of  the  ladies,  and  the  louder 
the  huzzas  of  the  populace.  As  poor  old  horses 
are  selected  for  these  honors  the  financial  loss  is 
inconsiderable,  and  the  honor  of  despatching  them 
might  not  be  without  moral  weight  if  it  were  done 
with  more  humanity.  Sometimes  horse  and  rider 
share  the  same  fate. 

When  the  bull  is  thoroughly  maddened  to  frenzy, 
the  bandcrilleros  dance  about  him  watching  their 
chance  to  thrust  a  dart  into  his  neck.  The  bull 
grows  frantic,  and  his  tormentors  dance  in  and  out 
of  the  arena  like  evil  spirits,  clad   in  dazzling  gar- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


55 


ments,  tempting  death  in  every  motion.  As  he 
grows  more  terrible  in  his  fury  they  increase  in 
daring  agih'ty.  At  length  the  cspada  presents  him- 
self before  the  manager  and  begs  permission  to  kill 
the  bull.  Bowing  low  in  acknowledgment  of  the 
favor,  he  advances  with  proud  bearing,  sword  in 
hand,  over  which  is  thrown  a  gay  cloth.  Now 
comes  the  thrilling  part  of  the  exhibition,  to  which 
all  that  has  preceded  has  been  simply  introductory. 
The  tormentors  grow  more  daring,  darting  reck- 
lessly under  the  horns  of  the  bull,  running  before 
him  with  only  their  trailing  capes  between  them  and 
death.  Yet  is  there  method  in  their  recklessness. 
They  must  keep  the  creature  within  certain  limits, 
where  he  can  most  advantageously  be  met  by  the 
espada^  who,  in  the  mean  time,  keeps  close  by  his 
side,  watching  his  opportunity  to  make  the  fatal 
sword  thrust.  By  his  anatomical  knowledge  he 
knows  when  to  seize  the  auspicious  moment,  and 
"  the  brute  with  a  soul  and  the  brute  without  a  soul 
meet  in  the  almost  equal  contest  for  life."  If  the 
first  thrust  does  not  prove  fatal  the  chase  must  be 
renewed. 

When  the  bull  falls  the  troop  of  tormentors  circle 
around  him,  waving  their  brilliant  capes  in  exulta- 
tion.     The    bands    strike    up    triumphant    strains, 


56 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


rockets  are  fired,  and  the  spectators  are  tumultuous 
with  their  acclamations,  as  were  the  old  Romans  in 
the  gladiatorial  contests.  Horses  are  brought  into 
the  arena  drawing  a  pair  of  low  wheels,  to  which 
the  carcass  is  attached  and  hurried  through  the  exit 
gateway,  and  a  fresh  victim  is  admitted.  Usually 
six,  sometimes  eight,  bulls  are  killed  for  an  after- 
noon's entertainment. 

Sea-bathing  ranks  next  after  the  bull-fight  as  a 
summer  diversion.  The  smooth,  sandy,  gently- 
sloping  beaches  extending  on  either  side  of  the 
city  afford  the  best  of  facilities,  to  which  are  added 
the  conveniences  of  dressing-rooms  and  bathing- 
carts  for  those  amphibiously  inclined.  For  their 
further  accommodation  street-car  tracks  are  ex- 
tended to  the  several  playas.  A  legal  enactment 
forbids  men  and  women  bathing  together,  but  the 
adjacent  portions  of  beach  assigned  to  each  are  so 
near  together  that  a  single  boat  detailed  from  the 
life-saving  service  to  hover  near  during  bathing 
hours  is  supposed  to  give  sufficient  security  to  both 
companies. 

The  women  dress  as  tastefully  for  the  water  as  for 
their  every  other  appearance  in  public.  But  the 
bathing  costume  of  the  men  reminds  one  of  the 
South  Sea  Islander,  who,   under  the   civilizing   in- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


57 


fluence  of  missionary  effort,  renounced  barbarism 
and  appeared  in  full-dress, — with  nothing  on  but  a 
standing  collar. 

The  evidently  modest  intent  of  the  legislators  is 
somewhat  foiled  by  the  arrangement  which  places 
the  women's  bathing  places  farther  from  the  city 
than  those  for  the  men,  thus  necessitating  passing 
them  in  going  and  returning. 

The  water  is  about  half  salt, — that  is,  the  ocean 
and  river  water  are  mingled  in  about  equal  propor- 
tions, and  a  free  indulgence  is  recommended  by 
local  physicians.  Bathers  sit  rather  than  swim  in 
the  water.  Many  ladies  go  provided  with  gloves, 
sun-hats,  and  parasols  to  preserve  their  complexions, 
and  sit  in  the  water  neck-deep  one,  two,  three,  or 
even  four  hours  at  a  time.  Others  take  two  hours 
in  the  morning  and  again  two  in  the  afternoon. 
The  impression  prevails  that  it  is  healthful  to  take 
some  food  immediately  after  leaving  the  water,  and 
for  this  purpose  some  milch  cows  are  brought  near 
the  entrance  to  the  bath-houses,  from  which  those 
wishing  it  can  get  a  glass  of  warm  milk.  Cakes  and 
bread  can  also  be  bought  at  these  stands.  The 
Montevideo  baths  are  yearly  becoming  more  pop- 
ular, and  by  them  the  elite  are  attracted  to  the  city 
from  the  interior  and  from  the  cities  of  the  Argen- 


58 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


tine  Republic.  Fashionable  life  may  be  thus  summed 
up  during  the  bathing  season  :  Morning  baths  be- 
tween nine  and  eleven  o'clock,  breakfast  from  eleven 
to  one,  then  siesta.  Afternoon  baths  from  three  to 
five,  dinner  from  six  to  eight,  then  the  turtiilia^ 
theatre,  or  social  evening ;  on  Sunday  the  bull-fight. 
It  would  be  hard  to  imagine  a  pleasanter  recrea- 
tion than  a  drive  or  stroll  down  the  Paseo  Molino, 
a  suburban  street  of  delightful  residences  in  every 
style  of  architecture,  from  the  light,  airy  pagoda  to 
the  solid  Ionian,  surrounded  by  ample  grounds,  as 
artistic  in  design  as  the  homes  they  supplement. 
The  Paseo  Molino  ends  at  the  "  Prado,"  a  Central  or 
Fairmount  Park,  of  which  the  citizens  have  all  the 
advantage  without  having  borne  any  of  the  cost. 
Many  years  ago  a  Mr.  Buschenthal  bought  a  large 
tract  of  land  here  and  undertook  to  convert  it  into 
an  earthly  paradise.  Groves  of  Brazilian,  Austra- 
lian, and  Indian  trees  were  transplanted  to  this  estate. 
Brooklets  were  made  to  meander  through  romantic 
little  glens  and  wildernesses  of  shrubbery.  Foun- 
tains and  tiny  lakes  sparkled  in  the  sunlight,  and 
plaster  water-nymphs  peeped  from  leafy  coverts  in 
imitation  of  Italian  and  Grecian  art  glories.  After  a 
time  the  paradise  scheme  was  abandoned  and  the 
*'  Prado"  offered  for  sale ;  but  no  purchaser  appeared. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


59 


The  city  fathers  looked  into  the  treasury  and  shook 
their  heads.  A  few  fragments  were  sold  and  turned 
into  suburban  homes,  but  tlie  main  part  of  the 
estate  still  lies  open  to  pleasure-seekers.  The 
family  mansion  is  falling  to  decay. 

The  city  has  expended  quite  a  sum  on  a  little 
paradise  scheme  of  its  own  at  Villa  Colon,  twelve 
miles  from  the  city  around  the  curve  of  the  bay. 
It  is  a  park  of  noble  dimensions,  in  which  green  turf 
and  colonnades  of  majestic  trees  are  the  chief 
characteristics.  As  no  trees  grow  indigenously  in 
this  locality  save  the  cactus  and  agave  (if  these  may 
be  called  trees),  great  labor  is  required  to  accom- 
plish such  a  result.  Villa  Colon  is  reached  by  a 
pleasant  railroad  ride  around  the  base  of  the  grass- 
covered  "  Mount,"  which  affords  a  fine  view  of  both 
city  and  bay.  Around  the  latter  are  anchored  the 
British  and  American  fleets,  also  one  or  more  men- 
of-war  bearing  the  German,  French,  and  BraziHan 
colors,  possibly  those  also  of  other  nations.  Such 
representatives  of  the  civilized  world  are  usually 
hovering  about  the  mouth  of  the  La  Plata ;  for, 
while  treaties  are  acknowledged  as  good  in  their 
way,  the  opinion  seems  to  prevail  that  they  are  more 
effective  with  a  few  guns  close  at  hand. 

Immediately  beyond  the  city  suburbs  the  country 


6o  J- A   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

■presents  a  rather  dreary  aspect,  with  a  few  small 
patches  of  cultivated  ground  surrounded  by  hedges 
of  cactus  and  agave.  The  species  of  agave  thus 
utilized  is  that  cultivated  as  a  house  plant  in  some 
portions  of  the  United  States  under  the  fictitious 
title  of  "  century  plant."  When  seven  years  old,  or 
thereabout,  the  plant  sends  up  a  flower-stalk  from 
the  centre  of  its  tuft  of  stiff  leaves  to  the  height  of 
about  twenty  feet.  The  top  of  this  flower-stalk  is 
crowned  by  a  huge  raceme  of  yellowish-white  flow- 
ers. Shooting  up  at  regular  intervals,  a  row  of 
these  flower-stalks  bears  a  not  unapt  resemblance 
to  a  grove  of  young  palm  trees.  After  blooming 
the  plant  dies.  But  as  a  cluster  of  new  ones  spring 
from  the  roots,  the  agave  is  practically  an  undying, 
although  a  rather  cumbrous  hedge.  The  leaves, 
each  ending  in  a  thorn,  are  about  four  feet  high. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  6l 


CHAPTER    IV. 

BURIAL  CUSTOMS. 

My  attention  was  one  day  attracted  by  a  funeral 
procession  wending  its  way  through  the  city  streets 
to  the  cemetery.  In  a  city  of  more  than  a  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants,  a  funeral  procession  is  usually 
nothing  remarkable,  yet  this  procession  impressed 
me  as  deserving  that  distinction.  It  was  wholly  of 
girls  of  (judging  from  their  size)  from  ten  to  four- 
teen years  of  age.  Each  wore  a  square  mantle 
shaped  like  those  the  priests  wear  while  performing 
mass,  on  the  back  of  which  was  a  gilt  cross.  The 
open  coffin  was  carried  by  the  larger  girls.  The 
exposed  corpse — of  a  girl  apparently  the  same  age 
as  the  bearers — was  surrounded  with  flowers.  Im- 
mediately behind  the  coffin  walked  a  girl  carrying, 
upright,  the  coffin  lid,  on  the  full  length  of  which 
was  a  gilt  cross.  After  her  the  girls  of  the  proces- 
sion walked  in  pairs. 

Not  infrequently  funeral  processions  are  seen 
where  the  coffin  is  carried  by  men,  followed  by  a 


52  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

long  procession  of  empty  carriages.  Indeed,  eti- 
quette demands  that  any  one  of  the  gentc  decente 
above  the  rank  of  a  pauper  shall  be  carried  by  hand 
a  part  of  the  way  to  his  last  home.  The  corpse 
may  be  carried  a  block  or  a  mile  before  being 
placed  in  the  hearse,  but  the  distance  is  always 
commensurate  with  the  social  position  of  the 
deceased,  or  with  his  claims  upon  the  public  for 
posthumous  honors.  Those  who  form  the  proces- 
sion ride  back  from  the  cemetery  in  the  carriages. 
Women  do  not  attend  funerals. 

The  Montevideo  cemetery  is  said  to  be  the  most 
beautiful  city  of  the  dead  in  the  southern  hemi- 
sphere. It  is  a  large  enclosure  surrounded  on  one 
side  by  the  bay  and  on  all  others  by  a  high  wall 
seven  feet  thick.  Two  other  walls  of  nearly  the 
same  height  and  double  the  thickness  divide  the 
enclosure  into  three  parts.  In  the  first,  well-kept 
walks  wind  gracefully  among  clumps  of  evergreens 
and  shrubs  of  fragrant  bloom,  among  w^hich  are 
many  costly  monuments.  Behind  the  first  wall  are 
more  humble  graves  over  which  the  green  grass 
creeps,  mingled  with  tufts  of  wild  flowers.  The 
surrounding  and  dividing  walls  are  piles  of  graves, 
or  tiers  of  cells  just  large  enough  to  admit  a  coffin 
endwise,  and  when  it  is  in  place  the  opened  arch  is 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


63 


again  closed  up  with  masonry  and  whitewashed 
over.  On  this  space  friends  may  hang  memorial 
wreaths  and  other  symbols  of  their  grief.  The  most 
common  device  is  a  wreath  of  large  flowers  made 
out  of  black  and  white  beads.  These  niches  or 
cells  in  the  walls  are  rented  for  one,  two,  or  more 
years,  and  the  body  is  suffered  to  remain  as  long 
as  the  rent  is  kept  paid,  but  if  it  falls  into  arrears 
the  tenant  is  ejected  and  the  place  made  ready 
for  another  occupant.  A  visit  to  this  cemetery 
suggests  several  scriptural  allusions,  such  as  of 
"  whited  walls"  filled  with  "  dead  men's  bones." 
And  the  rejoicing  that  Christ's  body  was  laid  in 
a  nciv  tomb,  "  wherein  never  man  before  was  laid," 
and  "  saw  not  corruption,"  takes  on  new  significance. 
There  is  a  beautiful  little  chapel  in  the  first 
division  of  the  cemetery,  in  which  the  burial  service 
may  be  performed.  In  a  crypt  beneath  it  now  rest 
the  ashes  of  the  once  famous  Gaucho  bandit, 
Artigas,  whom  the  Orientals*  now  honor  as  the 
liberator  of  his  country  and  the  preserver  of  its 
independence.  To  receive  this  honor  from  his 
countrymen,  his   body  was  at  length  recalled  from 

*  This  is  the  name  by  which   the   inhabitants  of   Uruguay  are 
familiarly  known. 


64  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

Paraguay,  where  his  last  years  were  spent  under  the 
protection  of  the  tyrant  Dictator,  Francia.  Such 
posthumous  honors  have  been  quite  in  vogue  in 
the  La  Plata  countries.  Pizarro  gave  the  Spanish- 
Americans  the  example  of  honoring  slaughtered 
slaughterers  with  magnificent  funerals  and  state 
mourners,  an  example  they  have  shown  no  disposi- 
tion to  neglect. 

When  the  visitor  tires  of  the  adulation  of  earthly 
glory,  and  wishes  to  penetrate  the  veil  that  separates 
Paradise  from  Purgatory,  he  need  only  step  through 
the  second  wall  to  the  space  behind  the  potters' 
field  that  has  become  the  receptacle  of  the  bankrupt 
tenants  of  the  walls.  There,  if  so  inclined,  he  may 
gather  human  skeletons  at  will.  Birds  and  insects, 
— nature's  scavengers, — the  dews  of  heaven,  rain, 
and  falling  sea-spray  are  cleansing  and  bleaching 
them. 

The  English  cemetery  occupies  a  square  in 
another  part  of  the  city,  where  the  dead  sleep  under 
grassy  mounds  shaded  with  trees,  enclosed  by  a 
simple  wall. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


65 


CHAPTER    V. 


BUSINESS   CONVENIENCES. 


An  early  acquaintance  with  its  currency  is  essen- 
tial to  a  comfortable  existence  in  any  foreign  coun- 
try. Fortunately  for  the  stranger,  the  monetary 
system  of  Uruguay  has  arrived  at  a  simple  solidity, 
in  which  the  peso,  or  dollar,  is  the  unit  of  value. 
Its  fractions  and  multiples  follow  the  decimal  sys- 
tem. One-dollar,  two-and-a-half  dollar,  five-dollar, 
and  ten-dollar  pieces  are  of  gold.  Their  paper 
representatives  have  the  same  commercial  value 
within  the  Republic,  and,  to  a  limited  extent,  along 
its  borders.  Ii^  silver  there  are  the  one-real,  two- 
real,  five-real,  and  onQ-pcso  [$)  coins.  The  five-real 
piece  is  the  Uruguayan  half-dollar,  but  the  confusing 
quarter  has  no  existence.  The  Uruguayan  peso  is 
worth  one  dollar  and  four  cents  of  United  States 
gold.  In  copper  there  are  the  cobre  (cent),  vinten, 
and   dos-vi)itens.     The   vi)iten   is  a   double  cobre,   or 

two  cents,  and  the  dos-viiiiens,  as  its  name  indicates, 
«  6* 


66  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

is  a  double  viiiten,  or  four  cents,  a  coin  sufficiently 
unwieldy  to  insure  its  speedy  banishment  from 
among  any  people  with  whom  "  a  big  thing"  is  not 
the  ultimatum  of  ambition. 

The  following  is  a  convenient  table  of  Uruguayan 
currency : 

2  cobres    .      =  l  vinten, 
2  vintens         =  I  dos-vintens, 
5  dos-vintens  =  i  real, 
lo  reals  =  I  peso,  marked  %. 

English  and  Chilian  gold,  Brazilian  gold  and 
silver,  and  Bolivian  silver  are  also  in  circulation, 
and  money-changers  are  eager  to  accommodate 
their  unhappy  possessers  with  a  liberal  shave  and 
a  balance.  There  are  several  foreign  and  local 
banks  doing  business  in  the  city,  noticeable  among 
which  is  "The  London  and  River  Platte  Bank,  Lim- 
ited," that  has  the  right  to  issue  bill#for  circulation. 
Its  banking-house  is  one  of  the  best  buildings  in 
the  city  devoted  to  business. 

The  better  to  facilitate  its  commercial  interests, 
in  1 88 1  the  Uruguayan  Congress  passed  a  bill 
to  incorporate  a  national  bank  with  a  capital  of 
;^io,ooo,ooo,  to  be  subscribed  in  ^loo  shares;  the 
bank  to  be  located  in  Montevideo,  with  branches  in 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


67 


other  towns  of  the  Repubh'c,  as  the  interests  of  the 
various  Departments  may  require.  It  is  the  expec- 
tation of  those  who  have  advocated  this  step  that 
the  poHcy  of  making  it  possible  for  citizens  of  even 
moderate  means  to  become  partners  with  the  gov- 
ernment in  the  creation  and  control  of  the  national 
currency  will  prove  as  advantageous  and  give  as 
solid  a  basis  for  national  credit  as  it  has  done 
in  the  United  States. 

The  nation  is  not  only  learning  how  to  create  a 
stable  currency,  but  also  how  to  control  its  expen- 
ditures. In  1882  the  national  outlay  was  only 
^5000  in  excess  of  its  income ;  and  to  prevent  even 
this  deficit  in  the  future,  the  Finance  Committee 
raised  the  tariff  on  imports,  making  a  discrimina- 
tion between  those  needed  for  the  development  of  the 
country  and  those  contributing  to  the  luxuries  of  life. 

No  institution  of  a  country  is  of  more  interest  to 
the  foreign  resident,  or  visited  with  more  solicitude, 
than  the  post-office.  Nor  is  this  interest  wholly 
selfish,  as  nothing  so  much  facilitates  good  govern- 
ment and  the  tranquillity  of  the  people  as  the  means 
of  ready  communication,  which  insures  against  the 
possibility  of  surprises  and  insurrections.  Nothing 
more  surely  indicates  the  advancement  that  this 
country  has    made    in    the  past  decade,   or  augurs 


68  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

more  favorably  for  its  future  stability,  than  the  in- 
crease in  its  postal  service.  In  Montevideo  a  cred- 
itable and  commodious  building  in  a  central  location 
is  devoted  to  its  use,  and  in  it  business  is  transacted 
with  a  decorum  and  accuracy  that  would  be  no 
discredit  to  the  capital  city  of  an  older  nation. 
According  to  the  records  of  the  Postal  Department 
for  1883  there  are  294  post-offices  in  Uruguay,  and 
during  the  year  a  million  ordinary  letters,  twenty 
thousand  registered  letters,  seventy  thousand  gov- 
ernment despatches,  and  a  million  newspapers  passed 
through  the  mail.  Local  letter  postage  is  five  cents 
per  ounce,  and  foreign  postage  ten  cents  per  half 
ounce. 

The  possibility  of  speedy  intercommunication  is 
further  facilitated  by  telegraph  lines  that  connect  the 
principal  towns  and  villages  of  the  interior  with  the 
capital.  A  subfluvial  telegraph  connects  the  cities 
of  Montevideo  and  Buenos  Ayres,  and  in  1883  a 
contract  was  made  between  the  Governments  of 
Uruguay  and  the  Argentine  Republic  by  which  the 
Uruguayan  land  lines  might  be  extended  to  the 
Island  of  Martin  Garcia,  in  the  La  Plata  River,  be- 
longing to  the  Argentine  Republic,  and  there  con- 
nect with  its  land  lines.  Through  Buenos  Ayres, 
by  way  of  the  Argentine  Transandine  Telegraph, 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


60 


Uruguay  has  communication  with  tlie  Pacific  const. 
A  submarine  telegraph  binds  Montevideo  to  Rio  dc 
Janeiro  via  Rio  Grande.  A  cable  extends  from  Rio 
de  Janeiro  to  St.  Vincents,  Cape  Verde  Islands,  and 
thence  to  Liverpool.  Other  cables  make  Liverpool 
next-door  neighbor  to  New  York.  By  this  round- 
about route  a  telegraphic  communication  may  be 
sent  from  the  commercial  emporium  in  latitude  34° 
53'  south  to  the  commercial  emporium  in  40'^  42' 
43''  north  at  the  rate  of  $4.  per  word.  Every  initial 
letter  in  the  address  and  signature  of  a  cable  mes- 
sage is  counted  as  a  separate  word. 

By  government  telegraph  between  Montevideo 
and  Rio  de  Janeiro  a  message  costs  forty  cents 
per  word,  or  sixty  cents  per  code-word.  The 
Western  and  Brazilian  Telegraph  Company,  between 
the  same  cities,  charges  one  dollar  and  sixty  cents 
per  w^ord.  By  either  line  the  message  is  sent  in 
Spanish  or  English  at  the  same  price.  Local 
messages  and  those  transmitted  to  the  Argentine 
Republic  cost  twice  as  much  if  sent  in  English 
as  the  same  number  of  words  in  Spanish.  The 
telegraphs,  like  the  railroads  and  many  other 
modern  conveniences,  are  the  result  of  English 
capital  seeking  profitable  investment. 

On   taking   a    seat  in  a  street-car,  a  comfortable 


^O  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

sense  of  home  is  experienced  on  reading  the  gilt 
legend  over  the  door,  "  Stevenson  &  Co.,  New 
York,"  and  when  the  conductor  makes  his  round, 
tearing  off  now  a  blue,  now  a  yellow,  now  a  red 
or  green  ticket,  happy  is  he  who  escapes  the  giddy 
whirl  through  his  brain  of — 

"  A  pink  strip  slip  for  a  five-cent  fare. 
A  blue  strip  slip  for  a  six-cent  fare. 
*       Punch  in  the  presence  of  the  passenjair." 

Almost  ever}'-  part  of  Montevideo  and  its 
suburbs  (which  in  1883  included  more  than 
one  hundred  thousand  inhabitants)  can  easily 
be  reached  by  street-car.  The  routes  are  in 
circuits,  going  by  one  street  and  returning  by 
another,  so  that  there  is  no  inconvenience  of 
switching  and  waiting  in  passing,  except  where 
different  routes  unite.  On  street  Dicz-y-ocJio  there 
are  double  tracks.  Although  American  cars  are 
in  use,  these  lines  are  not  built  or  operated  on 
American  capital. 

The  street-car  is  not  the  only  reminder  of 
American  enterprise.  The  telephone  was  intro- 
duced in  1882,  and  within  a  year  three  hundred 
miles  of  line  were  in  use.     The  ubiquitous  rocking- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


71 


chair  bids   fair  to  extend    its    empire    from  pole   to 
pole  as  soon  as  navigation  is  opened. 

In  1859,  the  year  in  which  its  national  existence 
was  guaranteed,  the  importation  of  twelve  thousand 
chairs  (not  all  rocking-chairs)  represented  the  bulk 
of  Uruguay's  trade  with  the  United  States ;  and, 
although  agricultural  implements  have  followed 
in  their  wake,  the  weary  traveller  who  yields  to 
the  soothing  sway  that  has  from  childhood  banished 
his  cares,  can  reflect  that,  in  one  part  of  the  world 
at  least,  the  rocking-chair  and  not  the  plough  is 
the  pioneer  of  civilization. 

Fifty-seven  steamships  arrive  in  Montevideo  Bay 
from  Europe  per  month.  Twelve  of  these  are 
from  each  of  the  three  countries,  England,  France, 
and  Portugal,  nine  from  Germany,  six  from  Spain, 
four  from  Italy,  and  two  from  Germany.  There 
is  not  an  important  European  city  on  the  coast 
of  the  Atlantic  and  Mediterranean  that  is  not 
thus  brought  into  direct  monthly  or  weekly  com- 
munication with  this  port. 

Of  English  lines,  "The  Royal  Mail"  from  South- 
ampton, and  the  *'  Pacific  Mail"  are  most  popular 
with  the  travelling  public.  P^irst-class  passage 
by  them  from  England  to  Montevideo  is  from 
^30    to    ^35,   and  the  passage  is  sometimes  made 


72 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


in  twenty-six  days.  The  former  go  no  farther. 
The  latter  proceed  around  Cape  Horn  to  San 
Francisco,  or  intermediate  points.  Vessels  from 
Australia  via  Cape  Horn  also  touch  at  Montevideo. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE   REPUBLIC   OF   URUGUAY. 

Of  the  fifteen  provinces  of  the  old  Spanish  Vice- 
royalty  of  Buenos  Ayres  that  for  a  generation  be- 
wildered themselves  and  the  world  with  the  chaotic 
cry  of  **  Unitario"  and  "  Federal,"  Uruguay  is  now 
the  sole  representative  of  the  Unitario  idea, — that 
is,  a  republican  government,  but  not  a  federal  re- 
public. Its  territorial  limits,  from  30°  to  35°  south 
latitude,  and  from  53°  to  58°  30^  west  longitude, 
embrace  an  area  of  sixty-nine  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  thirty-five  square  miles, — more  than 
thirteen  times  the  area  of  Connecticut,  and  a  little 
less  than  thirteen  times  that  of  Massachusetts.  This 
area  is  in  thirteen  divisions,  called  Departments, 
which  v^ary  considerably  in  size.  Taking  an  average, 
each  Department  has  a  larger  territorial  extent  than 


Longitude  llWest       aC      Ijuiu    ijr>M'n\s ilIi 


Al-Pil     ()'.).  {W:>    Sq,  M, 

Pop.  ill  mr)S-4;'.a  :i4r> 

RiiUroiuls 

Tole  g  ru])  Ils 


c     c 


«•  (^    r 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


73 


Connecticut,  and  it  will  be  but  a  trifling  exaggeration 
to  regard  the  Rcpublica  Orioital  del  Uruguay  as  a 
confederation  of  thirteen  States  of  the  size  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. As  integral  parts  of  the  government,  how- 
ever, the  Departments  more  nearly  correspond  with 
the  divisions  known  in  the  United  States  as  counties, 
parishes,  or  shires,  with  the  added  idea  conveyed 
by  the  terms  congressional  and  senatorial  district. 

The  national  legislative  body  consists  of  Senate 
and  House  of  Representatives.  There  is  one  senator 
from  each  Department,  who  is  elected  for  six  years. 
The  House  of  Representatives  has  forty  members, 
who  are  elected  for  three  years.  Congress  holds  an 
annual  session  from  the  15th  of  February  till  the 
30th  of  June.  In  the  interim,  the  general  control 
of  the  administration  is  vested  in  a  committee  of 
two  senators  and  five  representatives.  According 
to  the  Constitution,  the  President  is  elected  for  a 
term  of  four  years,  and  cannot  be  his  own  successor. 
But  after  one  term  has  elapsed  he  is  again  eligible. 

Streams  of  water  or  the  crests  of  the  low  mountain 
ranges  which  divide  the  prairies  in  all  directions  are 
the  natural  boundaries  of  the  Departments.  The 
highest  land  in  Uruguay  is  in  the  Department  of 
Minas,  and  only  reaches  an  elevation  of  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  feet  above  sea  level.     The  climate 

D  7 


74 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


of  these  thirteen  Lihputian  States  can  nowhere  be 
excelled.  Frost  sometimes,  and  snow  more  rarely, 
visits  the  table-lands  in  midwinter, — that  is,  in  July 
and  August,  but  winter  as  known  in  Massachu- 
setts would  be  utterly  incomprehensible  to  one 
acquainted  only  with  Uruguayan  skies.  The  prox- 
imity of  the  ocean  also  insures  it  against  the 
droughts  often  experienced  in  less  favored  sections, 
and  renders  the  oppressive  heat  of  more  inland 
States  an  impossibility.  The  mercury  ranges  from 
32°  to  88°  Fahrenheit,  occasionally  rising  to  100° 
in  the  plains.  The  climate  is  not  only  exceedingly 
pleasant,  but  also  extremely  healthful ;  and  although 
the  "  fountain  of  perpetual  youth"  may  not  be  found 
within  its  borders,  premature  death  is  much  more 
likely  to  result  from  accidental  than  natural  causes. 

Few  continental  nations  commanding  no  greater 
area  offer  a  more  extended  coast-line  to  facilitate 
commercial  intercourse.  To  its  two  hundred  miles 
of  Atlantic  coast  it  adds  one  hundred  and  fifty-five 
miles  on  the  La  Plata  estuary, — from  Maldonada 
Point  (which  is  practically  sea-coast), — and  two 
hundred  and  seventy  miles  on  the  Uruguay  River. 
A  total  available  shore-line  of  six  hundred  and 
twenty-five  miles. 

P'rom  the  Brazilian  boundary  to  Point  Maldonada 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  75 

the  coast  is  low  and  sandy,  and  presents  no  natural 
harbors  of  importance.  But  after  passing  this  point 
it  is  high  and  rocky,  with  natural  inlets  waiting  to 
be  whitened  with  the  busy  sails  of  the  world's  inter- 
change. The  lower  part  of  the  Uruguay  River  also 
is  an  estuary,  which  is  an  inland  archipelago.  The 
islands  and  coast  are  both  low,  and  in  seasons  of 
freshet  are  liable  to  be  overflowed,  but  present  no 
greater  obstructions  to  navigation  than  do  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  Rivers  under  the  same  circum- 
stances. 

The  Uruguayan  timber  growth  is  confined  to 
the  ranges  of  low  mountains  and  to  the  banks  of 
water-courses,  and  cannot  compare  with  that  of 
the  interior  of  the  continent,  nor  yet  with  the 
undestroyed  forests  of  the  United  States.  Yet  they 
offer  sufficient  supplies  for  the  ordinary  needs  of 
its  agricultural  population,  and  may  easily  be 
made  accessible  in  the  prairie  districts  that  sep- 
arate them  and  constitute  the  greater  part  of  the 
Republic.  In  the  timber  districts  an  occasional 
walnut  and  mulberry  tree  are  the  North  Amer- 
ican acquaintances  that  greet  us,  but  for  the  most 
part  the  forests  present  a  tangled,  thorny  growth 
unfit  for  lumber. 

In    the    legislation    of    Uruguay,    thought    was 


76 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


early  turned  to  the  possibility  of  augmenting  its 
population  from  the  overflow  of  Europe.  But  the 
state  of  armed  unrest  that  had  existed  throughout 
the  entire  period  during  which  the  European  eye 
had  been  suffered  to  penetrate  its  borders,  had 
made  an  impression  not  calculated  to  call  forth 
an  enthusiastic  response  to  the  statement  made  by 
its  government  that  its  territory  was  open  to  im- 
migration. For  several  years  that  invitation  scarce 
attracted  one  out  of  a  million  who  were  bidding 
adieu  to  the  land  of  their  fathers  to  become  "Pil- 
lars of  State"  in  newer  countries.  Even  these 
scattering  units  from  the  throng  of  emigrants 
were  followed  by  the  trembling  forebodings  of 
those  they  left.  Great  Britain  still  gives  to  its 
children  who  go  to  the  South  American  countries 
the  assurance  of  an  assisted  passage  home  again 
if  it  be  needed :  an  assurance  it  gives  to  its  emi- 
grants to  no  other  part  of  the  world. 

But  notwithstanding  the  unfavorable  impression 
of  the  past,  and  the  still  too  positive  proof  of  fre- 
quent barbarities,  the  undeniable  excellence  of  the 
country  in  all  its  physical  aspects,  added  to  the 
most  delightful  and  desirable  climate,  is  year  by 
year  deflecting  a  greater  number  from  the  strong 
tide  of  emigration  flowing  from  Europe  to  North 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


77 


America  and  Australia.  In  1883  Uruguay  re- 
ceived the  unprecedented  number  of  15,000. 

In  the  comparative  security  to  peaceful  avoca- 
tions enjoyed  for  the  past  few  years,  the  Orientals 
themselves  are  beginning  to  realize  that  their  true 
interests  lie  in  the  promotion  of  agricultural  in- 
dustry and  enlightened  labor.  As  an  exponent  of 
this  idea,  and  to  further  its  development,  "  The 
Rural  Association  of  Uruguay"  has  been  organ- 
ized, and  is  modelled  after  similar  associations  in 
the  United  States  and  Great  Britain.  It  held  its 
first  "fair"  in  the  spring  of  1883.  This  exhibit 
showed  an  encouraging  condition  of  the  various 
rural  industries  thus  far  undertaken,  chief  of  which 
is  sheep  and  cattle  raising.  The  average  value  of 
sheep  was  then  ;^i  per  head,  of  cattle  $6,  and  of 
horses  and  mules  $^.  The  cxposicion  was  carried 
on  with  all  the  grandiose  formality  without  which 
a  La  Plata  exhibit  of  the  most  insignificant  kind 
would  be  an  utter  impossibility.  "  A  Spaniard  is 
nothing  if  not  courtly,"  and  his  La  Plata  de- 
scendant can  do  nothing  unless  he  does  it  with 
courtliness. 

Immigration    and    agriculture    go    hand-in-hand. 

In   1 87 1   even  the  environs  of  Montevideo  were   a 

desert  from  which  the  tread  of  armies  had  almost 

7* 


7 8  J^A   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

obliterated  the  vestiges  of  the  chacras  that  gave 
to  the  insignificant  population  of  the  town  a 
scanty  supply  of  fruits  and  vegetables.  In  1883 
the  Republic  had  500,000  acres  in  cultivation. 
Wheat  and  Indian  corn  are  the  staple  crops,  and 
both  give  good  returns  for  moderate  labor.  Gang 
ploughs  are  superseding  the  cumbrous  implements 
of  the  past  in  tearing  up  the  virgin  soil  of  the 
prairies,  and  self-binding  reapers  and  steam  thresh- 
ers follow  in  their  wake. 

In  the  new  order  of  things  the  time-honored 
cactus  and  agave  hedges  are  found  of  too  slow 
growth  to  meet  the  pressing  need,  and  already 
;^  10,000,000  worth  of  wire  fence  is  assisting  in 
keeping  Uruguay's  million  horses,  eight  million 
cattle,  and  sixteen  million  sheep  out  of  its  grain 
fields.  Almost  every  British  ship  that  anchors  in 
its  roadstead  brings  an  additional  supply  to  meet 
the  demand  that  must  go  on  increasing  until  its 
thirty-five  million  acres  of  pasture  lands  as  well  as 
the  cultivated  fields  are  bounded  in  and  cut  up  to 
keep  pace  with  the  more  enlightened  ideas  that 
are  dawning.  The  culture  of  cotton  and  sugar- 
cane preceded  that  of  the  cereals,  and  continues 
to  give  fair  returns.  Soil  and  climate  combine 
to   give   all  the   possibilities   of  the   most  luscious 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


79 


fruits,  and  even  with  the  crude  knowledge  brought 
to  their  culture,  pears,  apples,  peaches,  and  apri- 
cots delight  the  eye,  even  when  their  flavor  proves 
disappointing.  But  no  disappointment  attends  an 
intimate  acquaintance  with  its  lemons,  oranges, 
prunes,  and  figs,  unless  it  be  that  one  "  must  learn 
to  like"  the  latter,  which  are  more  insipid  in  their 
fresh  state  than  when  dried,  and  the  skin  gives  a 
hint  of  an  unripe  persimmon. 

Easy  means  of  transportation,  one  of  the  first 
requisites  of  agricultural  communities,  is  yet  want- 
ing in  Uruguay.  It  has  only  three  hundred  and 
seventy-five  miles  of  railroad  in  operation  and 
ninety-four  more  contracted.  Of  this  the  Central 
Uruguay  Railroad  Company  has  two  hundred  and 
seventy-seven  miles  in  operation  and  forty-three  in 
construction.  The  Salto  Railroad,  when  finished, 
will  be  one  hundred  and  twelve  miles  long,  but  now 
only  reaches  out  sixty-two  miles  toward  the  north- 
ern frontier,  while  the  Northern  Railroad  has  only 
thirteen  miles,  and  tHe  Peste  twenty-three.  It  is 
thus  evident  that  the  horse  of  flesh  is  still  much 
more  the  dependence  of  the  people  than  the  horse 
of  iron.  For  an  indefinite  future  the  pack-horse 
and  bullock-cart  are  likely  to  remain  the  chief  ser- 
vants of  commerce.     As  in  few,  if  any,  portions  of 


8o  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

the  globe  railroads  could  be  more  easily  constructed, 
and  as  capitalists  are  always  in  search  of  good  in- 
vestments, it  is  naturally  inferred  that  political  un- 
certainties have  prevented  further  investments  of 
this  kind.  As  the  resources  of  the  country  were 
long  drained  by  continual  warfare,  it  must  depend 
on  foreign  capital  for  such  improvements. 

Unfortunately,  Uruguay  does  not  yet  give  the  im- 
pression of  perfect  security  of  person  and  property 
within  her  borders.  If  the  existence  of  an  armed 
force  could  give  such  security,  capital  need  seek  no 
farther.  For  so  small  a  country  it  has  a  strong 
military  enrolment.  With  only  438,245  on  its  cen- 
sus list,  it  has  4500  in  its  standing  army,  3200  in 
its  military  police  force,  and  20,000  in  the  national 
guard.  This  gives  one  military  for  every  fourteen 
of  the  population,  or,  allowing  the  small  average  of 
four  children  to  a  family,  every  second  able-bodied 
man  is  an  enrolled  soldier. 

Like  the  United  States,  Uruguay  professes  to 
elect  its  Chief  Executive  by  ballot  for  a  term  of 
four  years,  but  its  method  of  exercising  the  elective 
franchise,  like  many  other  practices  in  vogue,  is 
more  nearly  allied  to  that  of  the  old  Republic  of 
Rome,  and  the  voters  have  yet  to  convince  the 
world  that  in   their  vocabulary  ballots  and  bullets 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  8 1 

are  not  synonymous  terms.  The  exciting  political 
campaign  of  1882,  when  tlie  stronger  military  fol- 
lowing of  General  Maximo  Santos  compelled  Presi- 
dent Vidal  to  resign,  and  placed  Santos  in  the 
executive  chair,  was  not  a  convincing  argument  to 
that  effect.  In  the  campaign  the  time-honored  po- 
litical tactics  and  electioneering  manoeuvres  of  armed 
bands  scouring  the  plains  and  lurking  in  the  wooded 
highlands  were  freely  indulged,  followed  by  the  like- 
wise time-honored  sequel  of  assassinations  to  es- 
tablish public  tranquillity. 

Scarce  had  the  political  adjustment  been  recog- 
nized as  established,  and  the  rancor  attending  it  died 
away,  when  the  capital  was  again  thrown  into  wild 
excitement  by  the  announcement  of  inhuman  bar- 
barities practised  on  two  Italian  prisoners  confined 
in  the  Montevideo  cabildo.  Upon  the  discovery  of 
these  atrocities  the  diplomatic  representatives  of 
other  nations  protested  in  the  name  of  their  several 
governments,  some  of  them  going  immediately  on 
board  the  foreign  war  vessels  lying  in  the  bay  until 
their  home  governments  could  be  notified  of  the 
outrage  and  decide  on  their  course  of  action.  Presi- 
dent Santos  made  haste  to  denounce  as  unauthorized 
and  to  depose  the  military  jailers  by  whose  orders 
the  tortures  had  been  administered.     But  this  action 


82  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

could  not  wholly  remove  the  conviction  that  a  coun- 
try in  which  such  deeds  are  possible  can  only  be 
regarded  as  civilized  with  some  mental  reserva- 
tions. 

Yet  it  must  be  recognized  that  agencies  are  at 
work  that  may  in  a  short  time  remove  the  necessity 
of  such  mental  reservations,  and  are  sure  to  do  so 
sooner  or  later.  Among  these  influences  that  of 
the  press  is  not  insignificant.  Twenty-one  daily 
newspapers  and  forty  weeklies  and  monthlies  are  the 
organs  of  various  political  parties,  religious  orders, 
and  business  and  commercial  interests.  Discussions 
are  carried  on  in  them,  often  with  a  degree  of  acri- 
mony, not  always  free  from  offensive  personalities, 
that  argues  a  practically  absolute  freedom  in  the 
expression  of  opinion.  The  same  bombastic  adula- 
tion, the  same  magnifying  of  trifles  that  characterizes 
public  addresses,  characterizes  much  of  the  editorial 
matter  and  the  jottings  of  correspondents.  Al- 
though many  of  the  prominent  business  men  are 
English,  and  English  brain  as  well  as  capital  is 
expended  in  some  of  these  enterprises,  there  is  no 
paper  published  in  the  English  language.  Among 
the  periodicals  of  a  religious  character  is  El  Evan- 
gelista,  a  neat  little  paper  published  by  the  Metho- 
dists. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


83 


Ever  since  the  expulsion  of  its  Spanish  rulers, 
the  citizens  of  Montevideo,  of  the  gciitc  class,  have 
shown  a  commendable  interest  in  the  education  of 
their  children.  Formerly  private  teachers  could 
secure  enviable  salaries.  Occasionally  such  an  op- 
portunity may  still  be  found.  But  this  mode  of 
instruction  is  now  largely  superseded  by  govern- 
ment schools  and  private  subscription  schools.  In 
the  latter,  the  courses  of  study  and  the  prices  of 
tuition  are  as  various  as  the  individuals  conducting 
them.  In  the  former,  a  thorough  course  of  mental 
training  is  contemplated,  including  instruction  in  the 
various  branches  taught  in  the  public  schools  of 
North  America,  and,  in  addition  to  these,  religious 
instruction  is  given,  for  which  a  Catholic  priest  is 
employed.  Thus  every  public  school  of  Uruguay 
is  virtually  a  church  school  as  truly  as  the  many 
distinctively  church  schools  both  in  the  cities  and 
rural  districts.  In  the  rural  districts,  however,  edu- 
cational facilities  are  extremely  uncertain  and  re- 
stricted. According  to  the  report  of  the  Minister 
of  Public  Instruction  for  1883,  there  were  688  schools 
in  Uruguay.  This  includes  all  the  schools  in  the 
Republic, — government,  church,  and  private.  In 
these  688  schools  1183  teachers  were  employed,  on 
salaries  ranging  from  $1"^  to  ;$200  per  month.     In 


84  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

them  22,944  boys  and  19,592  girls  were  taught. 
Boys  and  girls  are  usually  taught  in  separate  schools, 
although  occasionally  there  is  a  mixed  public  school, 
and  not  infrequently  very  small  boys  are  sent  to 
private  schools  with  their  sisters. 

Notwithstanding  the  precaution  taken  by  the 
state  to  educate  the  children  in  the  religion  of  the 
state,  it  is  claimed  that  the  tendency  of  the  public 
schools  is  to  infidelity,  and  that  they  are  rearing  up 
for  Uruguay  a  generation  of  sceptics.  If  this  be  so, 
it  is  not  the  first  instance  in  which  intellectual  ex- 
pansion has  had  the  same  result.  Whether  mental 
discipline  will  produce  infidelity  depends  on  the 
foundation  given  for  religious  faith. 

The  financial  standing  of  any  nation  will  always 
be  measured  by  other  nations  by  its  exports  and 
imports.  Thus  far,  the  products  of  its  flocks  and 
herds  has  been  Uruguay's  chief  supply  for  exporta- 
tion. During  the  four  years  from  1880  to  1883, 
inclusive,  the  United  States  bought  of  these  more 
than  twenty  and  one-half  million  dollars'  worth, 
v/hile  it  sold  to  Uruguay  of  all  classes  of  its  mer- 
chandise and  manufactures  only  five  and  a  quarter 
million  dollars'  worth.  It  is  doubtful  whether  the 
average  Yankee  would  be  willing  to  accept  the  in- 
ference that  among  nations  Uruguay  is  four  times 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


85 


as  important  as  the  United  States.  Out  of  that 
twenty-seven  and  a  half  million  dollars,  we  paid  for 
more  than  twenty-seven  million  pounds  of  wool  and 
fourteen  and. a  half  million  hides.  Our  busy  fac- 
tories have  converted  the  wool  into  cloth,  and  the 
hides  have  largely  gone  to  keep  our  shoe  factories 
supplied ;  but  the  looms  of  England  and  France 
have  clothed  the  growers  of  that  wool,  and  Uru- 
guayan herdsmen  do  not  wear  American  shoes. 
Yet  encouragement  may  be  drawn  from  this  single 
item  of  the  quadrennial  showing.  In  the  first  year 
of  it  we  sold  to  them  to  the  value  of  ;^88o,37i  and 
bought  from  them  nearly  six  and  one-third  times 
that  amount,  while  in  the  last  year  we  sold  to  them 
to  the  value  of  ;$  1,385,75 5  and  bought  from  them 
only  three  times  as  much. 

Although  its  foreign  associations  have  mostly 
been  with  Europe,  the  nation  expresses  respect  for 
and  admiration  of  the  **  Great  Republic,"  and  would 
gladly  accept  an  interchange  of  influences,  social 
and  financial.  When  the  commissioners  appointed 
by  the  United  States  to  visit  the  several  countries 
of  South  America  in  the  interest  of  more  intimate 
commercial  relations  reached  the  capital  of  Uru- 
guay, in  the  spring  of  1885,  they  were  received 
with  every  demonstration  of  welcome,  and  a  grand 


86  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

military  parade  was  given  in  honor  of  the  occasion. 
The  President  expressed  to  them  the  desire  of  his 
people  to  imitate  the  United  States  in  all  things, 
assuring  them  that  only  its  financial  inability  pre- 
vented Uruguay  from  offering  a  subsidy  to  a  steam- 
ship line  to  bind  the  two  nations  more  closely.  But 
he  added  that  if  such  a  line  should  be  created, 
they  would  gladly  give  to  it  special  privileges  in 
the  way  of  harbor  dues. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

EPITOME   OF  URUGUAYAN   HISTORY. 

Both  Spain  and  Portugal  claimed  the  territory 
of  Uruguay  under  the  grant  of  Pope  Alexander 
VI.,  as  well  as  by  discovery,  and  made  settlements 
within  its  limits. 

This  territory  was  definitely  ceded  to  Spain  by 
Portugal  by  treaties  made  in  1724,  1750,  and  1779, 
and  remained  a  part  of  the  Spanish  Viceroyalty 
of  Buenos  Ayres  until  the  revolution  of  inde- 
pendence. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


87 


Independence  declared    .         .         .      July  18,  181 1 
Invaded  by  Portuguese  forces  from   Brazil     .   1 8 13 
Rescued  by  General  Artigas .  .         .         .1814 

Again  invaded  from  Brazil      .         .         .         .1816 

Artigas    conquered    by  Brazilians    and   forced 
to  flee  from  Uruguay  .         .         .         .         .1821 

Brazil  then  forced  the  legislature  of  Uruguay 

to  sign  decree  of  annexation. 
Revolution  against  Brazil         ....   1825 

Independence  acknowledged    ....   1828 

Constitution  proclaimed  .         .         .         .         .1831 

General    Oribe    President   of  Uruguay  when 
treaty    of    1 828    was    signed.      Revolution 
against   Oribe's    government    led    by    Don 
Fructuoso     Rivera    assisted    by   Argentine 
exiles  and  French  fleet.     Oribe  assisted   by 
Rosas,    Dictator   of    Argentine    Confedera- 
tion      ........   1839 

Treaty  of  peace    recognizing    Oribe  as    Pres- 
ident    ........   1840 

Hostilities    renewed    by   Rivera    party   ("  Col- 
orados")   and  the  Oribe   government  over- 
thrown .......   1845 

Oribe  asked  assistance  of  Rosas,  who  be- 
sieged Montevideo  nine  years.  England 
and    P^rance    joined     in    the    war   as    allies 


88  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

of  Rivera  "  to  enforce  the  treaties  of  1828 
and  1840."  English  and  French  fleets 
withdrawn  from  the  blockade  of  the  La 
Plata 1849 

War  between  the  "  Blancos"  and  "  Colorados" 
continued,  with  Brazil  as  the  ally  of  Rivera 
and  Rosas  of  Oribe.     Oribe  killed,  January,   1852 

Don  Juan  Francisco  Giro  (a  "  Blanco")  inau- 
gurated President         .         .         .    March  I,   1852 

"  Colorado"  opposition  (known  as  the  first 
Flores  insurrection)  led  by  General  Ve- 
nancio  Flores.  "  Colorado"  massacre  in 
Montevideo July  18,   1853 

President  Giro  fled  for  protection  to  a  neutral 
man-of-war  lying  in  Montevideo  Bay. 
Flores  declared  the  executive  chair  vacant, 
and  made  himself  President  of  a  ruling 
triumvirate.  After  the  death  of  his  two 
colleagues,  Flores  became  President  of  the 
Republic 1854 

The  Flores  government  overthrown  and  Don 
Luis  Lanas  made  Provisional  President      .   1855 

Flores  withdrew  to  Buenos  Ayres. 

Don  Gabriel  Antonio  Pereira  made  President 
by  both  parties  ("  Colorados"  and  "  Blan- 
cos") 1856 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


89 


Administration  of  Pcreira  the  most  prosperous 
era  known  since  downfall  of  Spanish  rule. 

Invasion  from  Buenos  Ayres  by  General  Ve- 
nancio  Flores  (known  as  second  Flores 
insurrection)  defeated  by  the  energy  of 
Carreras,  Minister  of  State    .         .         .         .1858 

Peace  thence  till  the  end  of  Pereira's  term. 
Don  Bernardo  Prudencio  Berro  made  Pres- 
ident by  both  parties    .         .         .    March  r,   i860 

During  Berro's  administration  the  country 
was  unusually  prosperous.  The  aggregate 
capital  engaged  in  business  doubled  be- 
tween 1858  and  1863. 

Third  Flores  insurrection  ....   1863 

On  account  of  the  civil  war  no  election  held 
at  the  close  of  Berro's  term ;  hence  the 
duties  of  the  Executive  devolved  on  the 
President  of  the  Senate,  Don  Antanacio 
C.  Aguierre March  i,   1864 

Brazil  presented  a  claim  for  indemnity  of  fifty 
counts,  amounting  to  ^^  14,000,000,  and  de- 
manded instant   payment. 

Flores   blockaded   Montevideo  with   the    help 

of  Brazilian  and  Argentine  troops.     General 

Gomez,  commander    of  government    forces, 

taken  prisoner  and  shot.    President  Aguierre 

8* 


go  LA   PLATA    COUNTRLES 

resigned.  Senator  Villaba  assumed  the 
Executive  and  entered  into  negotiations 
with  Flores.  General  Venancio  Flores  en- 
tered Montevideo  as  Provisional  Presi- 
dent     .....     February,  23,   1865 

Through  him  Uruguay  became  a  party  (M  y 
4,  1864)  to  the  **  Triple  Alliance"  against 
Paraguay. 

A  revolution  against  the  government  of  Ve- 
nancio Flores,  headed  by  his  sons,  caused 
him  to  resign         .         .         .     February  15,   1868 

In  a  disturbance  on  February  19,  1868,  he  was 
assassinated. 

General  Lorenzo  Battle  ("  Colorado")  made 
President March  i,  1868 

Blanco  revolution    ......   1870 

Dr.  Don  Theo  Gomensero  ("  Colorado")  made 

President March  i,   1872 

Treaty  of  peace  between  "  Blancos"  and  "  Col- 

orados" April  6,   1872 

Continued  civil  disturbances.  Don  Jose  EUauri 
made  President      ......   1873 

President  Ellauri  deposed  by  his  own  party 
and  succeeded  by  General  Pedro  Varela        .   1875 

President  Varela  forced  to  resign  by  Colonel 
L.  Latorre 1876 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


91 


Latorre  assumed  dictatorial  powers  from 
March  11,  1876,  until  his  election  as  Presi- 
dent      March  i,   1877 

Dr.  T.  A.  Vidal  elected  successor  of  Colonel 
L.  Latorre,  and  inaugurated         March   15,   1880 

President  Vidal  compelled  to  resign  by  Gen- 
eral Maximo  Santos,  who  became  Presi- 
dent        March  i,   1882 


PART   II. 


THE  ARGENTINE  REPUBLIC  AND 
BOLIVIAN  LA  PLATA. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


THE   ARGENTINE    CAPITAL. 


From  the  capital  of  Uruguay  to  the  capital  of 
the  Argentine  Republic  is  sixty  miles  '*  as  the 
crow  flies,"  but  owing  to  sand-bars  that  distance 
is  doubled  by  steamer  route.  The  steamers  en- 
gaged in  the  passenger  trade  between  these  two 
cities  resemble  those  that  ply  on  the  Great  Lakes 
of  North  America,  being  intended  to  brave  the 
storms  "  that  pile  the  waves  mountain  high,"  as 
well  as  **  to  skim  the  silvery  ripples  that  dance 
in  the  moonlight."  When  the  water  is  really  calm 
it  is  a  pleasant  ride,  but  a  very  slight  breeze 
causes  "  a  nasty  choppy  motion"  that,  to  many, 
makes  the  estuary  more  disagreeable  than  the 
ocean.  A  steamer  leaves  each  city  every  day  at 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  arriving  before  the 
other  in  about  eight  hours ;  fare,  $S.  As  the 
depth  of  water  near  the  shore  of  either  city  is 
insufficient   for   them    to    reach    the   piers,  they   lie 

from  half  to  three-quarters   of  a  mile  from   shore 

95 


96  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

and  are  reached  by  bocitas^  the  same  as  ocean 
vessels.  The  bocitas  add  from  ^i  to  ;^i.50  to  the 
cost  of  the  trip. 

On  a  bright  afternoon  in  the  latter  part  of  July 
I  bade  a  temporary  adieu  to  the  clean-washed 
streets  of  Montevideo  and  took  my  seat  in  a 
nicely-cushioned  bocita  about  the  size  of  an  or- 
dinary skiff,  and  was  rowed  over  the  mirror-like 
surface  of  the  bay  to  the  "Jupiter,"  whose  column 
of  black  smoke  betokened  its  readiness  to  raise 
anchor.  Some  two  or  three  hundred  passengers 
were  already  chatting  gayly  on  its  deck,  and  within 
a  few  minutes  the  lessening  spires  of  the  city 
showed  that  we  were  in  motion.  The  promenad- 
ing, the  sprightly  conversation,  and  the  ripple  of 
laughter  continued  on  deck  till  the  early  winter 
twilight  drove  the  people  into  the  cabin,  where 
they  were  soon  giving  as  animated  attention  to 
dinner,  which  was  served  from  six  to  eight  o'clock, 
and  consisted  of  twelve  courses,  as  follows : 

1st.  Vermicelli  soup  and  hard  rolls. 

2d.  Fried  fish  served  with  sliced  lemon. 

3d.  Partridge  fried  in  sweet  oil. 

4th.  Artichoke  fried  in  oil. 

5th.  Macaroni  and  cheese  with  oil. 

6th.  Cold  chicken  with  oil  dressing. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  ^y 

7th.  Roast  beef  served  witli  lettuce  dipped  in  oil. 

8th.  Patty  cake  fried  in  oil. 

9th.  Custard. 

loth.  Oranges. 

nth.  Cigarettes. 

1 2th.  Coffee. 

Wine  and  water  were  on  the  table  throughout 
the  meal.  Few  took  the  latter  pure.  Wine  is 
the  universal  table  drink.  As  the  meal  progressed 
the  joviality  increased.  Both  ladies  and  gentlemen 
remained  seated  at  the  table  during  the  smoking. 
A  few  ladies  accepted  the  cigarette  prepared  for 
them  by  the  nearest  gentlemen,  but  smoking  in 
public  is  not  a  common  practice  among  ladies  of 
refinement.  Women  of  the  laboring  class  are  fre- 
quently seen  on  the  streets  with  cigarettes  in  their 
mouths. 

When  I  awoke  to  find  the  morning  sun  shin- 
ing, the  "  Jupiter"  was  lying  at  anchor  in  the  inner 
roads  at  Buenos  Ayres,  and  a  bevy  of  bocitas  were 
vying  with  each  other  to  be  the  first  to  reach  us. 
Soon  a  confused  chaffering:  was  jjoincf  on  over  the 
ship's  sides  between  their  several  owners  and  the 
passengers,  each,  apparently,  intent  on  getting  the 
best  of  the  bargain.  While  waiting  my  turn  I  re- 
ceived the  congratulations  of  a  fellow-passenger 
Y.        g  9 


98 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


on  being  able  to  make  my  first  entry  into  the 
emporium  of  Argentina  in  this  elegant  manner 
rather  than  by  water-cart,  as  would  be  necessary 
if  the  waves  were  rough.  These  are  huge  wheeled 
structures  drawn  by  horses  or  bullocks,  which 
often  have  to  swim  with  their  loads.  The  service 
is  so  severe  that  a  horse  rarely  lasts  more  than 
four  months  in  it.  .Formerly,  all  cargo  and  pas- 
sengers entered  at  this  port  reached  tn'ra  jirma 
by  their  assistance.  Now  they  are  used  only 
when  the  wind  beats  the  bocitas  away  from  the 
piers,  and  for  those  parts  of  the  river  front  where 
the  sand-bars  leave  the  water  too  shallow  when 
the  tide  is  out  even  for  small  row-boats. 

When  at  last  my  turn  came  to  climb  the  steps 
of  the  Catalinas  mole,  and  I  placed  the  fare,  forty 
Buenos  Ayres  dollars  (equal  then  to  $1.20  United 
States  gold,  but  when  at  par  to  $1.60),  in  his  hand, 
the  Italian  boatman  expressed  astonishment  that  I 
could  think  the  services  of  his  boat  worth  so  insig- 
nificant a  sum.  When  satisfied  that  I  knew  it  to  be 
the  amount  fixed  by  Buenos  Ayres  law  he  no  longer 
demurred,  but  made  up  in  pitiful  pleading  for  ten 
dollars  more  as  a  nap  a. 

Seen  through  a  clear  atmosphere  from  the  deck 
of  a  vessel  in  the  river,  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


99 


makes  a  pleasing  picture,  its  numerous  spires  rest- 
ing against  the  sky,  and  the  blue  waters  stretching 
out  for  miles  in  every  direction  in  front  of  it,  dotted 
with  numerous  sails.  But  on  entering  it  the  con- 
viction is  irresistible  that  its  site  is  greatly  infe- 
rior to  that  of  Montevideo,  and  that  Dom  Pedro 
Mendoza,  who  had  the  privilege  of  choosing  from 
nearly  the  third  of  a  continent,  selected  about  as 
poor  a  spot  for  his  city  as  the  whole  coast  could 
offer  him.  Natural  drainage  is  wanting,  and  arti- 
ficial drainage  was  slow  in  coming  to  its  assistance, 
so  that  during  the  rainy  season  even  paved  streets 
are  a  slush  and  crossings  almost  impassable  to 
pedestrians.  But,  notwithstanding  the  natural  dis- 
advantage of  its  level,  added  to  that  of  the  barri- 
cades of  sand  that  more  than  40,000  miles  of  river- 
courses  constantly  heap  up  before  it,  Buenos  Ayrcs 
has  for  three  centuries  defied  all  attempts  at  re- 
moval, and  (including  suburban  villages)  now  boasts 
some  300,000  inhabitants,  being  not  only  the  largest 
but  also  the  most  enterprising,  most  progressive,  and 
most  elegant  city  in  the  south  temperate  zone.  Its 
general  plan  and  the  style  of  its  buildmgs  arc  the 
same  as  in  Montevideo.  The  ordinary  building 
materials,  adobes  and  marble.  There  is  perhaps 
no   city   in   America   where   more  wealth   has   been 


100  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

lavished  on  elegant  homes,  albeit  the  outside  archi- 
tecture gives  little  or  no  hint  of  the  elegance  within. 
Its  many  long  streets  of  commodious  business 
houses  compare  favorably  with  those  of  the  prin- 
cipal cities  of  the  United  States,  and  are  scarce  be- 
hind them  in  the  modern  accessories  to  mercantile 
activities.  There  is  also  more  of  that  business 
bustle  that  characterizes  North  American  cities  than 
is  to  be  encountered  elsewhere  in  the  La  Plata. 
Five  railroads  radiate  from  it,  and  nearly  a  hundred 
miles  of  street-car  tracks  make  every  part  of  it 
easily  available  to  the  masses.  The  telephone  and 
the  telegraph  are  available  almost  everywhere. 
Upon  its  invention  the  electric  light  speedily  became 
popular,  and  by  its  aid  the  terror  of  stalking  shad- 
ows has  been  banished.  Next  to  the  revolutionary 
character  of  the  country  the  want  of  a  suitable  port 
has  been  the  greatest  drawback  to  its  prosperity. 
To  remedy  this  evil  the  work  of  improving  the 
Boca,  or  mouth  of  the  Rio  Chuela,  was  begun  some 
years  ago,  and  has  been  carried  forward  with  as 
much  despatch  as  could  conveniently  be  thrown  into 
it.  The  Rio  Chuela  is  a  small  creek  that  empties 
into  the  Plata  three  miles  below  the  original  site  of 
the  city,  but  is  now  within  its  suburbs.  In  1880 
small   coasting  crafts  could  enter  the  Boca.     Four 


OF  SOUTH  AMER'ICA.'  ^CI 

years  later  a  width  of  150  feet  had  been  secured, 
with  a  depth  of  water  sufficient  to  float  vessels  of 
2500  tons  burden,  which  can  he  at  an  embankment 
of  soHd  masonry  and  discharge  their  cargo  on  flag- 
stone and  Macadam  pavement,  instead  of  lying  out 
in  the  estuary  from  six  to  twelve  miles,  and  sub- 
jecting merchandise  to  as  much  cost  for  lighterage 
as  for  freight  from  Europe,  besides  requiring  only 
about  one-fourth  of  the  time  to  unload.  A  suffi- 
cient depth  will  soon  be  secured  to  admit  the  largest 
vessels.  While  the  United  States  was  celebrating 
its  Centennial,  the  President  of  the  Argentine  Re- 
public declared  to  its  Congress  that  "  The  port  of 
Buenos  Ayres  is  in  the  same  condition  as  when  en- 
tered by  the  fleet  of  Sebastian  Cabot,"  Long  ere 
its  Centennial  its  Congress  will  probably  decree  a 
jubilee  over  the  completion  of  one  of  the  finest 
ports  accessible  to  seafaring  men.  The  twin  piers 
that  reach  out  to  welcome  the  traveller  was  the  first 
great  scheme  of  improvement  engaged  in  by  the 
Government  of  Buenos  Ayres  after  the  overthrow  of 
the  tyrant  Rosas.  The  opening  of  the  Rio  Chuela 
is  the  crowning  maritime  event  of  the  twenty-one 
years  of  the  consolidated  government,  and  a  worthy 
indication  that  the  Argentine  Republic  has  reached 
its   majority.     A  ship's   harbor   is   also  in  progress, 


.I02  ^^    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

extending  along  the  city  front  in  a  northwesterly 
direction  from  the  Boca,  in  which,  when  completed, 
the  largest  ships  may  lie  out  of  the  way  of  moving 
crafts,  and,  sheltered  from  storms,  unload  direct  to 
the  warehouses  lining  the  shore.  Then  farewell  to 
water-carts  !  "  Farewell  forever !"  The  advantage 
of  such  a  harbor  can  be  appreciated  by  any  one 
who  has  witnessed  a  storm  on  this  river.  One  oc- 
curred a  few  days  after  my  arrival,  which,  seen  from 
the  Boca,  was  terrible  in  its  grandeur.  The  wind 
caught  up  the  water  in  a  column  resembling  the 
trunk  of  a  great  cypress  tree,  and  carried  it  to  the 
height  of,  probably,  150  feet,  where  it  spread  out 
like  the  drooping  branches  of  an  elm,  and  fell  with 
resounding  force.  The  estuary  all  about  it  was  like 
a  boiling  caldron,  and  ships  were  tossed  about  like 
bubbles  of  foam.  Several  small  boats  were  dashed 
to  pieces,  and  one  steamer  raised  the  distress  signal, 
but  no  human  power  could  reach  it. 

Witnessing  such  a  scene  may  well  give  rise  to  a 
feeling  of  thankfulness  that  one  is  on  solid  earth 
rather  than  in  Argentine  quarantine.  In  1871 
Buenos  Ayres  lost  one-fourth  of  its  population  by 
the  yellow  fever,  introduced  from  Rio  de  Janeiro. 
As  high  as  nine  hundred  deaths  were  reported  in  a 
single  day.     Since  that  time  strict  quarantine  meas- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


103 


ures  have  been  enforced,  and  every  one  arriving  be- 
tween the  1st  of  December  and  the  1st  of  June  by  a 
vessel  that  has  touched  at  a  Brazihan  port  north  of 
Rio  Grande  is  required  to  spend  two  weeks  on  an 
old  hulk  anchored  several  miles  from  the  city.  It 
is  an  experience  none  could  covet,  and  many  who 
would  be  in  risk  of  its  enforcement  mitigate  the 
**  durance  vile"  by  landing  at  Montevideo  and  pass- 
ing the  quarantine  in  the  building  erected  for  that 
purpose  by  the  Uruguay  Government  on  an  island  a 
short  distance  from  the  coast.  When  the  building 
is  occupied  a  steam-tender  makes  daily  trips  to  it 
carrying  provisions. 

Neatly-kept  gardens  and  grass-plots  border  the 
river  above  the  warehouses,  and  numerous  little 
parks  are  scattered  through  the  city.  In  the  princi- 
pal one,  Plaza  11  de  Seiienibre  (named  in  commem- 
oration of  the  Federal  victory  over  General  Urquiza 
in  1852),  the  government  dedicated  a  neat  column 
to  the  memory  of  San  Martin,  the  hero  of  South 
American  independence,  on  the  occasion  of  the  cen- 
tenary anniversary  of  his  birth  in  1877.  The  event 
caused  general  rejoicing,  and  representatives  of  the 
neighboring  republics  participated  in  the  ceremony 
of  its  dedication.  It  is  a  grateful  tribute  to  a  worthy 
man  who   devoted  his   life   to  a  worthy  cause,  and 


104  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

who  is  better  appreciated  now  than  he  was  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  The  honor  of  canonization  has 
also  been  conferred  on  him,  and  a  day  assigned  to 
him  in  the  South  American  calendar. 

There  are  also  many  pleasant  drives,  and  a  fine 
boulevard,  where  the  elite  enjoy  the  air  in  their 
luxurious  carriages,  or  enjoy  the  more  exhilarating 
exercise  of  a  ride  on  horseback.  *'  Haughty  dons 
and  ravishing  seiioritas"  are  here  seen  in  all  their 
glory.  An  excellent,  well-trained  saddle-horse  can 
be  bought  for  from  $30  to  $40,  but  its  stylish  equip- 
ments cost  from  $^Q0  to  ^500.  The  mountings  of 
the  saddle,  including  the  stirrups,  are  of  Solid  silver. 
The  stirrup  of  a  lady's  saddle  is  an  elegant  silver 
slipper.  The  nine  months  of  summer  and  the  many 
warm,  bright  days  in  the  short  winter  give  ample 
opportunity  for  the  indulgence  of  this  popular  pas- 
time. •  Nine  well-patronized  theatres  give  a  further 
proof  of  a  love  for  amusement  on  the  part  of  the 
citizens. 

Of  public  buildings,  the  Cathedral,  built  by  the 
Jesuits  in  the  17th  century,  is  the  most  notable  and 
one  of  the  four  finest  specimens  of  church  architect- 
ure on  the  continent.  Five  hundred  Indian  slaves 
from  the  Jesuit  missioits  in  Paraguay  were  employed 
in  its  construction.    As  we  enter  it  several  Lazaruses 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  IO5 

are  basking  in  the  bright  sunshine  on  the  steps,  and 
others  are  crouching  in  the  magnificent  vestibule 
waiting  an  ahns,  wliile  within  a  mass  for  the  dead 
is  being  celebrated  in  the  dim  obscurity  of  wax 
tapers. 

The  University,  founded  in  1820,  and  supported 
by  the  National  Government,  is  the  exponent  of  the 
more  modern  idea  of  human  development.  It  has 
a  faculty  of  forty-two  professors,  several  of  whom 
are  foreigners,  mostly  Germans.  Its  classical  curri- 
culum is  much  the  same  as  that  of  Harvard.  It 
has  also  the  four  departments  of  law,  medicine, 
science,  and  engineering,  a  diploma  from  either  one 
of  which  is  an  almost  certain  preferment  to  wealth 
and  position.  It  has  a  library  of  over  sixty  thou- 
sand volumes,  many  of  them  exponents  of  the  re- 
searches of  European  scientists,  and  an  interesting 
museum. 

Although  among  the  most  important,  the  Govern- 
ment House  is  one  of  the  least  attractive  buildincrs. 
It  is  two  stories  high,  of  common  adobes  stuccoed 
and  color-washed  a  pale  pink.  In  it  the  National 
Government  was  the  guest  of  the  Province  of 
Buenos  Ayres  for  seventeen  years,  pending  the  de- 
cision of  where  the  Federal  capital  should  be  per- 
manently located.      This  question,  so  important   to 


jo6  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

the  peace  and  stability  of  the  nation,  was  settled 
most  satisfactorily  in  1880  by  the  Province  of 
Buenos  Ayres  presenting  the  city,  with  ample 
suburbs,  to  the  nation  as  a  Federal  district.  The 
Provincial  Government  then  remained  the  guest  of 
the  National  Government  until  1882,  when  the  site 
was  chosen  for  the  new  Provincial  capital. 

The  Federal  Congress  meets  every  year,  and  re- 
mains in  session  from  the  1st  of  May  till  the  1st 
of  September.  The  Senate  is  composed  of  twenty- 
eight  members,  two  from  each  province,  who  are 
elected  for  a  term  of  six  years.  At  present  the 
Lower  House  (House  of  Deputies)  has  eighty-six 
members,  who  are  elected  for  four  years,  one  half 
being  elected  every  two  years.  Both  senators  and 
deputies  receive  an  annual  salary  of  1^3500.  Like 
the  senators,  the  President  and  Vice-President  are 
elected  for  six  years,  and  the  President  is  not 
eligible  to  re-election.  The  Vice-President  is  chair- 
man of  the  Senate.  Although  characterized  by 
refined  and  grave  dignity,  many  of  the  legislators 
are  comparatively  young  men,  fully  imbued  with 
the  idea  of  Argentina's  present  and  prospective 
greatness  and  her  future  importance  among  na- 
tions, and  manifest  the  determination  to  place  her 
in   the   foremost   rank   of   republican  governments, 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  I07 

side  by  side  with  the  United  States.  The  first  Con- 
gress that  met  after  the  removal  of  the  Provincial 
capital  took  up  the  question  of  city  improvements 
in  a  manner  that  showed  the  intention  of  making 
the  Federal  capital  the  worthy  type  of  a  great 
nation.  Very  properly  it  began  by  adopting  a 
proposition  for  a  thorough  system  of  drainage,  and 
appropriated  ;$8,ooo,ooo  to  carry  it  into  execution. 
When  this  has  been  accomplished  the  condition  of 
the  city  will  cease  to  be  a  parody  on  its  name, — good 
air. 

Even  though  a  six  o'clock  dinner  has  consisted 
of  twelve  courses,  one  is  apt  to  feel  the  cravings 
of  appetite  before  a  city  of  300,000  inhabitants 
has  been  gone  over.  Obeying  the  instinct  of  self- 
preservation,  he  may  enter  a  hotel  with  an  assur- 
ance gained  by  experience  that  breakfast  may  be 
had  any  time  after  nine  o'clock.  This  is  the 
early  breakfast  hour.  From  one  to  two  o'clock  is 
a  rather  late  one.  Eleven  is  everywhere  the  most 
usual  breakfast  time.  The  city  is  well  supplied 
with  hotels, — French,  Italian,  English,  Creole, — at 
which  the  charges  are  no  more  exorbitant  than 
at  those  of  the  same  comparative  standing  in  the 
United  States.  Some  are  on  the  "  European  plan," 
others    on   the  "  American."     Reasonably  good    ac- 


I08  L^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

commodations  can  be  had  in  private  boarding- 
houses  for  from  $2^  to  $2,0  per  month.  As  eggs 
sometimes  cost  one  dollar  per  dozen  and  fowls  are 
rarely  less  than  seventy-five  cents  apiece,  little  ob- 
jection can  be  made  to  these  prices, — provided 
always,  that  the  fowls  and  eggs  be  not  too  per- 
sistently replaced  by  beef  and  mutton,  which  are 
the  cheapest  articles  of  food  attainable. 

If  the  outer  door  be  open,  the  visitor  at  either 
a  hotel  or  private  residence  enters  the  patio  and 
announces  his  presence  by  a  vigorous  clapping  of 
the  hands.  If  the  street  door  be  shut,  the  same 
signal  will  call  an  attendant  from  within; 

It  is  not  usual  for  ladies  unaccompanied  by 
gentlemen  to  eat  at  the  public  hotel  table.  Their 
meals  are  served  in  their  own  rooms.  But  in 
those  hotels  where  North  Americans  and  English 
are  frequent  guests  this  rule  is  not  strictly  ad- 
hered to. 

My  first  hotel  breakfast  in  Buenos  Ayres 
(brought  on  by  the  waiter  without  previous  speci- 
fication on  my  part)  consisted  of  six  courses,  as 
follows : 

1st.  Beef  broth  with  shreds  of  cabbage  and 
crumbs  of  bread.     (This  is  called  caldo) 

2d.  Fried  fish. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  IO9 

3d.  Blood  sausage  (which  the  waiter  assured 
me  I  could  eat  with  confidence,  as  it  was  made 
in  the  house,  but  which  I  had  not  the  confidence 
to  touch). 

4th.  Mutton-chops  and  fried  potatoes. 

5th.  Sweet  omelet. 

6th.  Tea. 

A  long  loaf  of  bread  lay  on  the  table,  but  after 
seeing  many  like  it  in  hands  not  the  cleanest, 
and  coming  in  contact  with  pantaloon  legs  not 
fresh  from  the  laundry,  I  did  not  feel  particularly 
drawn  towards  the  "  staff  of  life."  Such  fastidi- 
ousness soon  wears  away  and  the  superiority  of 
Buenos  Ayrean  bakers  is  frankly  admitted.  Eng- 
lish, French,  and  Creole  bread  may  be  had  as 
preferred,  the  two  first  in  loaves,  the  last  in  rolls. 
The  gallita  is  a  native  roll  that  is  baked  very 
hard,  keeps  well,  and  makes  long  journeys  in 
bakers'  carts  to  supply  the  country  people.  Bread 
is  not  baked  in  private  houses  either  in  the  city 
or  country.  There  are  no  conveniences  for  so 
doing.  Bread  making  is  a  business  that  belongs 
exclusively  to  the  professional  baker. 

Soup    or    caldo    is    an    essential     part    of    every 

meal.     The   same    meat   that   serves    for   the    caldo 

for   breakfast,    with    longer    cooking    gives    a    rich 

10 


no  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

soup    for    dinner.      Supper    is     not    a     customary 
meal. 

The  blood  sausage  referred  to  in  my  breakfast 
bill  of  fare  is  a  favorite  national  dish,  and  is  made 
from  the  blood  of  the  ox  or  sheep,  mixed 
with  chopped  garlic  or  onions,  and  occasionally 
with  other  ingredients,  I  was  repeatedly  assured 
that  one  who  does  not  eat  it  need  not  expect  to 
retain  strength  in  that  climate.  The  climate,  how- 
ever, is  not  more  trying  than  that  of  Cincinnati. 
The  mean  average  temperature  in  the  city  from 
March  to  September,  1880,  was  72°  Fahrenheit. 
The  highest  temperature  was  98°,  and  the  lowest 

39°- 

I    was   amused  with   a   Scotchman's    relation   of 

his   first  experience    in   satisfying   the    cravings    of 

appetite   in   Buenos  Ayres.     Knowing  little  of  the 

Spanish   language  and   nothing  of  the   customs  of 

the  country,  he  read  over  a  door  the  sign  '' paii  con 

leclie''  (bread  with   milk),  and   concluded   he  would 

indulge    himself  with    a   bowl   of  bread   and   milk. 

He  stepped  in  and  as  best  he  could  laid  his  wants 

before    the    proprietor.      A    dry    roll    was    handed 

to   him.     After  exercising   his  patience  for  a  time, 

he    modestly    suggested    that   he    was    waiting    for 

the    milk.     "  It   is    in    the   bread,"    said    the    shop- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  HI 

keeper,  and  added,  "  If  the  gentleman  would  like 
IccJie  he  can  get  it  at  the  taniboy 

The  tanibo  is  a  place  where  cows,  goats,  or 
mares  are  kept  for  their  milk.  A  travelling  tanibo 
is  the  milk  animal  led  through  the  street  by  a 
halter,  to  be  milked  at  the  doors  of  regular  cus- 
tomers, or  anywhere  that  a  chance  customer  pre- 
sents himself.  The  milk  is  drawn  into  the  cup  or 
glass  presented,  and  it  is  not  unusual  for  the  pur- 
chaser to  drink  it  on  the  spot.  The  iambo  then 
travels  on  until  another  cupful  is  wanted.  A 
drink  of  warm  milk  may  be  had  in  this  way  for 
eight  cents.  Mares  are  never  worked,  and  are 
kept  in  the  cities  only  for  their  milk.  Occasion- 
ally a  herd  of  a  dozen  or  more  may  be  seen 
making  the  rounds  of  their  customers.  The  milk 
is  considered  more  nourishing  than  that  of  the 
cow.  With  all  this  display  of  the  milk  animal, 
comparatively  little  use  is  made  by  the  natives  of 
either  milk  or  its  products. 

My  arrival  in  the  Argentine  capital  was  just  three 
weeks  after  the  siege  of  the  city  was  raised  at  the 
end  of  the  revolution  of  1880,  and  my  first  act, 
after  receiving  the  permissive  nod  of  the  customs 
officer,  was  to  take  a  carriage  (for  which  I  paid 
^2.80  per  hour)   and   instruct  the   driver  to   go   to 


112  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

the  scene  of  the  recent  fighting,  where  I  found  men 
at  work  replacing  the  cobble-stone  pavements  that 
had  been  torn  up  to  make  barricades,  and  filling 
the  trenches  that  had  been  dug  across  the  streets. 
In  the  adjoining  public  square  troops  with  bronzed 
faces,  clad  in  knickerbockers  of  blue,  black,  red, 
and  gray,  were  going  through  a  military  drill  in  a 
running  fox-trot.  The  whole  scene  was  more  sug- 
gestive of  Sepoy  comparisons  than  of  beating  swords 
into  pruning-hooks. 

This  is  universally  referred  to  as  one  of  the 
fiercest,  sharpest,  most  decisive,  and  briefest  of  all 
the  La  Plata  revolutions,  having  been  conceived, 
begun,  and  ended  within  three  months.  Every 
one  had  his  own  particular  tale  of  horrors  to 
relate.  It  was  a  modern  attempt  to  continue  the 
Gaucho  mode  of  carrying  an  election.  Its  signal 
failure  is  readily  interpreted  as  an  indication  that 
"  the  past  can  never  return." 

In  March,  1880,  General  Julio  Roca  was  elected 
President  of  the  Argentine  Republic  for  the  con- 
stitutional term  of  six  years.  The  defeated  candi- 
date, unwilling  to  accept  his  defeat,  set  out  for  the 
capital  city,  driving  before  him  a  large  troop  of 
horses,  which  he  expected  to  be  manned  by  the 
population    of    the    rural    districts    flocking   to    his 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  II3 

standard  as  he  pressed  onward,  arming  themselves 
with  spears  made  by  breaking  sheep  shears  in  two 
and  lashing  each  point  to  the  end  of  a  pole.  These 
simple  arms  had  proved  formidable  weapons  in 
many  a  civil  contest,  and  by  them  a  strange  alliance 
was  effected  between  the  most  peaceful  of  all  avoca- 
tions and  the  savagery  of  continuous  war.  But  in 
this  instance  the  expectation  of  the  chief  was  des- 
tined to  non-fulfilment.  Enough  men  did  not  join 
his  standard  to  conquer  the  seat  of  government. 
Instead,  the  Provinces  sent  troops  to  the  assistance 
of  the  capital,  and  the  besiegers  were  in  turn  be- 
sieged. The  drove  of  horses  added  to  their  embar- 
rassment. The  starving  people  were  reduced  to  the 
necessity  of  eating  the  starving  animals,  and  piles 
of  bones  from  which  the  flesh  had  been  eaten  lay 
in  the  streets.  Hundreds  of  carcasses  of  horses 
that  had  died  of  starvation  strewed  the  commons 
outside  of  the  city,  making  the  air  pestilential.  At 
the  outbreak  of  the  difficulty  all  who  could  do  so 
escaped  to  Montevideo  before  the  port  was  closed. 
Foreign  diplomatic  corps  found  they  had  no  sine- 
cure office,  and  the  homes  of  foreign  clergymen 
were  places  of  refuge.  In  this  national  crisis  the 
plenipotentiary  from  the  United  States  was  the 
only  representative  of  a  foreign  power  admitted  to 


10' 


114 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


an  interview  with  the  "  Department,"  and  is  said  to 
have  acquitted  himself  with  honor. 

For  several  weeks  afterwards  bands  of  soldiers 
were  moving  about  in  the  several  Provinces,  and 
when  the  "  whys  and  wherefores"  were  asked,  there 
was  the  universal  shrug  and  the  universal  Spanish 
ejaculation,  ''Quien  sabef  (who  knows).  Eventually 
all  signs  of  disturbance  passed  away,  and  on  the 
1 2th  of  October  General  Roca  was  peacefully  sworn 
into  office.  Since  that  time  the  quiet  of  the  city 
has  remained  unbroken,  and  but  io."^  indications  of 
a  turbulent  disposition  have  been  manifested  in 
other  parts  of  the  Republic.  The  federalization  of 
the  city  has  taken  away  the  root  of  jealousy  between 
it  and  other  provincial  capitals,  and  an  era  of  peace- 
ful prosperity  seems  at  last  to  be  insured. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  115 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THE  ARGENTINE  REPUBLIC. 

The  most  natural  feeling  of  the  average  Amer- 
ican in  visiting  the  Argentine  RepubHc  is  aston- 
ishment. Astonishment  at  its  extent,  its  resources, 
its  ambition,  its  spirit  of  progress,  and  the  culture 
that  greets  him  in  contrast  with  his  preconceived 
ideas;  and  perhaps  for  the  first  time  he  begins  to 
realize  that  he  does  not  know  everything.  Yet 
the  scarcity  of  available  means  of  information  is 
greater  cause  for  surprise  than  his  ignorance. 
During  the  early  days  of  South  American  inde- 
pendence, there  was  a  general  enthusiasm  with 
regard  to  its  future,  and  the  United  States  was 
the  first  nation  to  recognize  the  new  republic  and 
send  a  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  its  capital. 
From  that  time  until  the  beginning  of  its  own 
civil  war  as  close  communication  was  maintained 
as  was  possible  with  only  the  aid  of  slow  mails 
and   sailing   ships,    and    with    its    unquiet   political 


Il6  LA    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

condition.  Since  that  time  American  thought  has 
been  so  absorbed  In  problems  of  home  develop- 
ment that,  while  the  children  have  been  repeating 
the  same  geography  lessons  their  fathers  conned, 
— "  The  country  consists  of  vast  plains  called 
pampas,  on  which  roam  thousands  of  sheep  and 
cattle,  which  furnish  the  chief  exports,  wool,  hides, 
and  tallow," — the  little  sister  has,  unheeded,  stepped 
boldly  forward  to  its  side. 

With  the  reconstruction  or  consolidation  effected 
in  1862,  a  new  era  dawned  on  the  Argentine  Re- 
public, and  with  that  event  the  history  of  the 
present  Argentine  nation  begins.  As  now  consti- 
tuted it  comprises  fourteen  provinces  of  what  was 
the  Spanish  Viceroyalty  of  Buenos  Ayres,  and  a 
large  extent  of  public  lands.  The  provinces  are : 
Buenos  Ayres,  Catamarca,  Cordoba,  Corrientes, 
Entre  Rios,  Jujul,  Mendoza,  San  Juan,  San  Luis, 
Santa  Fe,  Salta,  Santiago  del  Estero,  RIoja,  and 
Tucuman.  Owing  to  the  vague  manner  in  which 
territorial  limits  were  stated  in  original  royal  grants, 
provincial  boundaries  offered  a  fruitful  subject  for 
disputes.  To  avert  these  the  plan  of  donating  to  the 
General  Government  all  disputed  areas  was  happily 
proposed.  Each  Province  has  its  own  govern- 
ment, modelled   after   those    of   the   States    of  the 


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OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


117 


United  States.  In  all,  the  governors  and  legis- 
lators are  elected  for  the  same  length  of  time,  viz., 
three  years,  and  receive  the  same  amount  of 
salary. 

The  Territories  are:  Misiones,  Formoso,  Gran 
Chaco,  Pampas,  Rio  Negro,  Neuguen,  Chubut, 
Santa  Cruz,  and  Tierra  del  Fuego. 

The  boundary  between  the  Argentine  Republic 
and  Paraguay  was  long  a  vexed  question,  and  was 
finally  settled  by  the  arbitration  of  the  United 
States  in  favor  of  the  claims  of  Paraguay.  The 
treaty  of  limits  was  signed  on  the  3d  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1876,  making  the  Pilcomayo  River  the 
boundary  instead  of  the  Paraguay. 

In  October  of  1881  the  boundary  with  Chili 
was  definitely  fixed  by  treaty  in  conformity  with 
protocols  issued  in  1878.  Both  nations  unhesitat- 
ingly accepted  the  decision  of  the  committee  ap- 
pointed to  adjust  the  matter,  and  in  most  explicit 
terms  acknowledged  their  gratitude  for  the  assist- 
ance rendered  in  these  delicate  negotiations  by 
the  plenipotentiaries  of  the  United  States.  Vty 
the  terms  of  the  treaty  the  highest  peaks,  or 
water-shed,  of  the  Andes  is  the  western  boundary 
of  the  Argentine  Republic  from  22°  to  52°  south 
latitude.      The    parallel    of   52°    then    becomes    the 


Il3  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

boundary  from  the  water-shed  of  the  Andes  to  its 
intersection  with  the  meridian  of  70°  west  from 
Greenwich.  The  hne  then  follows  the  highest 
peaks  of  a  low  mountain  range  in  a  general 
southeasterly  direction  to  Mount  Dinero,  and 
thence  to  Point  Dungeness  on  the  Straits  of  Ma- 
gellan. The  island  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  is  divided 
between  the  two  nations  by  a  line  due  north 
from  Cape  Espiritu  Santo,  in  latitude  52°  50'  and 
longitude  68°  34'  west  from  Greenwich,  to  Bea- 
gle Channel. 

Los  Estados  islands  and  the  small  islands  close 
to  the  eastern  division  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  be- 
long to  the  Argentine  Republic.  Those  south  of 
the  western  division  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  and  all 
islands  to  the  westward  belong  to  Chili.  The 
Straits  of  Magellan  are  neutral,  and  neither  nation 
has  the  right  to  erect  fortifications  on  them. 

By  this  decision  to  the  Argentine  Republic  is 
left  the  undisputed  sovereignty  of  the  entire  west- 
ern side  of  the  La  Plata  basin  lying  south  of  the 
parallel  of  22°,  and  contained  between  the  highest 
crests  of  the  Andes  and  the  great  auxiliary  rivers 
of  the  La  Plata  system,  being  an  area  of  1,168,682 
square  miles.  Topographically  this  area  is  in  five 
natural    divisions:      ist.    The    Cordilleras     of.  the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  HO 

Andes,  being  high  table-lands  between  G']^  30' 
and  69°  30'  west  longitude,  with  shallow  valleys 
running  north  and  south.  The  mean  height  of  this 
table-land  is  13,000  feet  above  sea  level.  2d.  Iso- 
lated mountain  ranges  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
Republic,  with  wide  wastes  of  comparatively  un- 
productive land  known  as  "  deserts."  Some  of 
these  are  covered  with  saline  inflorescence.  The 
mountains  are  rugged  and  more  abrupt  on  the 
western  than  on  the  eastern  side.  3d.  The  cen- 
tral Argentine  table-lands  and  Sierras  of  Cordoba. 
4th.  Prairies,  called  pampas,  and  Avooded  plains. 
5th.  The  undulating  table-lands  of  Patagonia. 
The  salubrity  of  the  country,  as  a  whole,  was  fully 
attested  by  the  longevity  of  the  people,  as  shown 
by  the  census  of  1869,  the  first  general  census  at- 
tempted. It  was  then  found  that  there  was  a  cen- 
tenarian for  every  7350  inhabitants,  and  26  per- 
sons were  found  whose  age  exceeded   120  years. 

Thoughout  the  Republic  the  same  general  dis- 
tinction of  the  inhabitants  as  gente  dcccnte  and  peons 
exists  as  in  Uruguay,  and  to  these  is  added  the 
Gaiiclio  of  the  pampas.  A  foreigner  is  kindly  re- 
ceived and  treated  with  marked  respect  by  all 
classes.  The  suavity  that  prompts  him  "  to  put 
everything  at  the   disposition"  of  his   guest   seems 


120  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

inherent  in  the  Argentine,  regardless  of  social  posi- 
tion, and  is  a  characteristic  in  strong  contrast  with 
the  policy  that  for  three  centuries  kept  the  La  Plata 
locked   from   the   rest  of  the  world.     But,  notwith- 
standing the   great   change   that  has  been  wrought 
within    a    generation,    nothing    in    their    mode    of 
thought    will    more    readily    impress    the    stranger, 
especially  the  North  American,  who  mingles  freely 
among  the   people,   either   in  business    relations   or 
social   intercourse,  than   the  boundlessness   of  time 
and   the    amplitude    of    to-morrow.  '^   Mahaiia    (to- 
morrow) and  pasa-manana  (day  after  to-morrow)  are 
the  first  words  learned.     It  is  the  period  of  time  in 
which    all    things    are    accomplished,    and    for    the 
Yankee's  exasperating  now  they  have  the  euphoni- 
ous   substitute    paciencia    (patience).       He    who    is 
thoroughly  imbued  with   the   spirit   of  these   three 
words  may  find  a  residence  among  them  delightful. 
Otherwise   it  may  prove  as  much   a  discipline  as  a 
joy.     The  suggestion  made  in  1856  by  Lieutenant 
Page   of  the  United  States  exploring  expedition  on 
La  Plata  River  and  its  tributaries  is  still  appropriate : 
"  Whoever     undertakes     any    enterprise    in    South 
America    must    do    so    with    a    patient,  philosophic 
spirit. 

In  no  one  particular  has  a  greater  change  been 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  I2l 

eftected  since  the  consolidation  of  the  government, 
or  one  that  has  a  more  direct  tendency  towards  the 
unitization  of  the  people,  or  more  felicitous  to  the 
traveller,  than  in  the  facilities  for  intercommunica- 
tion and  communication  with  other  countries.  The 
telegraph  has  taken  the  place  of  the  individual 
courier,  and  more  than  io,000  miles  of  wires  now 
bind  together  all  the  cities  and  principal  villages, 
and  even  reach  remote  outposts.  Seven-eighths 
of  these  lines  are  owned  and  operated  by  the  Fed- 
eral Government,  the  remainder  by  private  com- 
panies. The  uniform  price  for  a  message  of  ten 
words,  sent  to  any  part  of  the  Republic  regardless 
of  distance,  is  forty  cents.  More  than  half  a  mil- 
lion messages  are  transmitted  annually. 

Since  1872  a  snow  cable  across  the  Andes, 
through  the  Uspallata  Pass,  has  connected  the  city 
of  Mendoza,  and  thence  Buenos  Ayres,  with  Val- 
paraiso, Chili,  whence  submarine  cable  gives  com- 
munication with  the  United  States  by  way  of  San 
Francisco  and  Galveston.  The  subfluvial  telegraph 
that  connects  Buenos  Ayres  and  Montevideo  brings 
it  into  telegraphic  communication  with  Rio  Grande 
and  Rio  de  Janeiro,  in  Brazil,  and  thence,  by  way  of 
the  Cape  Verde  Islands  and  Europe,  with  the  east 
coast  of  the  United  States. 

F  II 


122  ^^    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

Even  more  advantageous,  if  possible,  than  the 
introduction  of  the  telegraph  was  the  adoption  of 
a  general  postal  service.  To  facilitate  the  regular 
transmission  of  the  mails  Congress  annually  appro- 
priates about  ;^2,ooo,ooo  as  subsidies  to  stage-coach 
lines.  Every  province  has  one  or  more  of  these, 
and  some  of  them  have  several.  In  1883  that  of 
Buenos  Ayres  had  fifty-one,  and  employed  on  them 
10,988  horses  and  935  men.  Local  letter  postage 
(including  Uruguay  and  Paraguay)  is  at  the  rate 
of  eight  cents  per  half-ounce,  while  business  pa- 
pers are  carried  for  one  cent  per  ounce.  In  1883 
the  Argentine  home  correspondence  amounted  to 
17,300,000  letters,  while  its  foreign  correspondence 
increased  the  number  to  21,000,000.  The  proceeds 
of  the  service  for  the  year  gave  the  government  a 
net  gain  of  ;^2 1,046. 

The  Argentine  Republic  was  admitted  to  the 
Berne  Postal  League  in  1878.  Previous  to  that 
date  letter  postage  to  the  United  States  was  at 
the  rate  of  twenty-seven  cents  per  quarter-ounce. 
Since  that  time  five  cents  will  take  a  letter  there 
from  the  United  States,  but  will  not  bring  a  return. 
From  1878  to  1882  the  letter  rate  from  the  Argen- 
tine Republic  to  the  United  States  was  sixteen  cents 
per  quarter-ounce.     In  the  latter  year  it  was  reduced 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


123 


to  twelve  cents.  Postac^c  on  newspapers  coming  in 
or  going  out  of  the  country  is  charged  at  the  rate 
of  two  cents  for  every  fifty  grains  in  weight.  If 
foreign  letters  have  been  underpaid,  when  they 
reach  the  Buenos  Ayres  post-office  the  amount  of 
deficit  is  marked  according  to  the  Argentine  rate, 
not  according  to  that  of  the  country  from  which 
they  come.  For  example,  if  a  letter  with  a  United 
States  five-cent  stamp  weighs  a  fraction  over  the 
fourth  of  an  ounce,  the  proper  postage  since  Jan- 
uary I,  1882,  is  twenty-four  cents.  As  only  five 
have  been  paid,  the  remaining  nineteen  cents  are 
collected  from  the  recipient.  My  "  personal  experi- 
ence" afforded  me  indubitable  proof  that  the  Ar- 
gentine quarter-ounce  is  lighter  than  the  half-ounce 
of  the  United  States. 


124 


LA   PLATA    COUNTIES 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE    PROVINCE    OF    BUENOS    AYRES. 

The  Province  of  Buenos  Ayres  is  about  equal 
in  extent  to  the  State  of  New  York,  and  bears 
much  the  same  relative  importance  in  the  Argen- 
tine RepubHc  that  the  State  of  New  York  does 
in  the  United  States.  With  the  exception  of  a 
few  isolated  mountain  knobs  in  the  southern  part, 
that  seem  to  be  an  outlying  fragment  of  the  Coast 
Range  Mountains  of  Brazil  and  Uruguay,  it  is 
wholly  a  prairie  State,  lying  in  the  topographical 
division  known  as  the  pampas. 

It  was  in  this  Province  that  the  Gaucho,  the 
third  distinct  class  of  the  Argentine  population, 
thrust  himself  upon  the  notice  of  the  world. 
Strangely  enough,  the  greater  number  of  names 
that  have  been  impressed  on  the  thought  of  for- 
eign nations  are  the  names  of  Gauchos.  The 
idea  of  La  Plata  civilization  entertained  generally 
in   the  United  States  is  the  idea  of  Gaucho   civil- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


125 


ization, — if  such  a  combination  of  words  be  ad- 
missible. The  Gaucho,  or  lord  of  the  prairies  of 
the  La  Plata,  is  of  mixed  Spanish  and  Indian 
blood.  He  may  still  be  seen  to  better  advantage 
on  the  prairies  of  Buenos  Ay  res  than  in  any  other 
Province  of  the  Republic,  although  it  is  possible 
that  in  those  lying  to  the  northward  he  has  been 
less  modified  by  foreign  influences.  The  name 
(usually  translated  into  North  American  literature 
as  "  cattle  driver")  literally  means  a  Jiorscman. 
Hence  it  is  evident  that  there  may  be  gentlemen 
Gauchos  and  peon  Gauchos  without  any  violence 
to  the  language.  A  gentleman,  of  whatever  class, 
is  always  addressed  as  Sefior  or  Caballero,  but  a 
peon  as  amigo  (friend). 

The  full  Gaucho  dress  is  now  rarely  seen  near 
the  cities.  It  is  what  Sarmiento  has  characterized 
as  the  **  American  dress,"  because  found  in  no 
other  part  of  the  world.  It  is  peculiarly  adapted 
to  the  needs  for  which  it  was  intended, — a  life  on 
horseback, — and  admits  the  free  action  of  every 
part  of  the  body. 

The  Gaucho  boot  is  the  skin  drawn  from  the 
leg  of  the  horse  or  ox  and  made  supple  by  ma- 
nipulation. The  heel  of  the  wearer  fits  into  the 
part  that  grew  around  the  hock  of  his  predecessor, 


11^ 


126  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

and  from  the  part  to  which  the  hoof  adhered  his  toes 
protrude  guiltless  of  stockings.  This  boot  is  now 
rarely  seen  even  in  the  interior,  being  superseded  by 
those  of  French  manufacture.  Wide  white  cotton 
trousers  reach  a  little  below  the  knee  and  are  elab- 
orately trimmed  around  the  bottom  with  fringe, 
embroidery,  or  native  hand-made  lace.  His  loose 
cotton  shirt  resembles  a  blouse.  The  collar  is 
generally  left  open  and  thrown  back  from  the 
chest.  The  chirapa  is  worn  over  the  trousers.  It 
is  a  long  shawl,  one  end  of  which  is  fastened 
under  the  belt  in  front  and  the  other  end  at  the 
back,  giving  the  effect,  when  walking,  of  Turkish 
trousers  open  on  the  side.  In  riding  it  protects 
the  white  ones  underneath.  The  belt  is  of  leather, 
the  finest  being  of  dressed  hog-skin  elaborately 
embroidered.  The  leather  is  doubled,  forming 
pockets  from  six  to  nine  inches  deep,  which  are 
separated  by  rows  of  buttons.  These  buttons  are 
silver  dollars  or  half  dollars  made  with  an  eye  on 
the  reverse  side.  The  lappet  of  each  pocket  is 
fastened  down  with  a  similar  button.  The  lower 
edge  of  the  belt  is  sometimes  festooned  with  silver 
chains,  from  the  links  of  which  silver  coins  are 
suspended,  and  the  whole  is  fastened  in  front  by 
an  elaborate  clasp  surrounded  by  a  coarse  filigree. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


127 


The  curved  knife,  inherited  from  his  Moorish  an- 
cestors, is  worn  in  the  back  of  the  belt.  It  serves 
for  all  purposes  alike, — to  mend  a  cart,  build  a 
house,  kill  an  ox,  cut  his  food,  or  "  mark"  his 
antagonist.  (Sheffield,  England,  has  a  large  trade 
with  the  Argentine  Republic  in  these  knives.)  In- 
stead of  a  coat,  a  poncho  of  the  same  quality  and 
color  as  the  cJiirapd  is  used.  When  not  needed 
for  warmth  or  protection  from  the  rain  it  is  car- 
ried on  the  recado  (saddle).  A  soft  slouch  hat,  a 
bright-colored  handkerchief  loosely  knotted  about 
the  neck,  and  a  silver-mounted  riding-whip  of 
braided  raw-hide  complete  the  costume  of  the 
genticuian  Gaucho.  The  peon  Gaucho  may  dis- 
pense with  all  save  the  shirt,  cJdrapd^  and  hat,  a 
strip  of  raw-hide  supplying  the  place  of  the  belt 
as  a  support  for  the  chirapd  and  a  rest  for  the 
knife,  and  a  strap  buckled  to  the  wrist  serving 
for  a  whip. 

Like  the  Arab,  the  Gaucho  spends  the  greater 
part  of  his  waking  existence  on  his  horse.  The 
name  of  his  saddle  literally  means  a  resting-place 
or  bed.  It  is  composed  of  four  small  rolls  of 
straw  sewed  in  leather,  two  of  which,  bound  together, 
rest  on  each  side  of  the  horse.  Over  this  are  laid 
one  or  more  skeepskins,  tanned  with  the  wool  on; 


128  ^A   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

one  or  more  rugs,  woven  in  the  upper  provinces, 
with  pile  perhaps  an  inch  long;  and,  over  all,  the 
poncho.  The  stirrup,  secured  to  the  recado^  in  the 
case  of  the  gentleman  Gaucho,  is  often  a  mass  of 
silver  ornament  that  quite  conceals  the  foot.  The 
headstall  of  the  bridle  is  as  nearly  entirely  of  silver 
as  is  consistent  with  use,  the  ornaments  of  the 
brow-band,  or  cliapcado,  covering  a  goodly  portion 
of  the  face.  Silver  bits  are  in  the  horse's  mouth, 
and  a  pretel  of  several  rows  of  silver  bangles  orna- 
ments its  breast.  The  reins  are  alternate  sections 
of  silver  chains  and  leather.  The  peon's  bridle  is  a 
simple  headstall  and  reins  of  raw-hide,  with  a  stout 
iron  bit.  But  even  that  is  scarcely  needed,  the 
horse  seeming  instinctively  to  understand  the  rider's 
wish.  The  coiled  lasso  is  attached  to  the  recado 
ready  for  use,  and  the  bolas  always  accompanies  it. 
The  bolas  is  a  mechanical  implement  and  an  offen- 
sive weapon  inherited  from  the  aborigines.  It  con- 
sists of  three  stone  (or  sand)  balls  enveloped  in 
leather;  two  being  of  equal  size,  and  attached  to 
thongs  of  equal  length.  The  third  ball  is  smaller, 
and  attached  to  a  shorter  strap.  The  ends  of  the 
three  straps  are  fastened  together.  To  use  it  the 
horseman,  holding  the  small  ball  in  his  hand,  raises 
his  arm  above  his  head  with  a  whirling  motion  till 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


129 


the  two  free  balls  have  gained  the  requisite  momen- 
tum, then  opens  his  hand,  and  the  weapon  speeds 
away  and  coils  itself  about  the  feet  of  the  ox  or 
horse  that  he  would  capture,  or  with  it  he  will 
bring  down  a  bird  upon  the  wing.  (By  the  use  of 
the  bolas  the  cavalry  of  the  Spaniards  was  rendered 
useless  in  the  war  with  the  Incas,  and  burning 
faggots  attached  to  them  set  fire  to  the  thatch  roofs 
and  destroyed  the  city  of  Cuzco  in  1536,  when  held 
by  Hernando  Pizarro  and  besieged  by  the  natives 
under  the  Inca  sovereign  Manco,  son  of  Huayna 
Capac.)  Although,  in  the  practised  hands  of  the 
native,  the  bolas  is  an  almost  unerring  and  conve- 
nient means  of  catching  an  animal,  it  is  a  severe 
one.  I  have  seen  horses,  caught  with  it  while 
feeding  on  the  prairie,  led  up  with  legs  lacerated  and 
bleeding. 

The  home  of  the  Gaucho  is  a  mud  hut  thatched 
with  pampa  grass,  the  rocking-chairs  of  which  are 
the  skull  bones  of  oxen,  with  the  wide-spreading 
horns  as  arms,  and  gourds  serve  for  cooking  uten- 
sils. The  wants  of  his  family  are  extremely  simple, 
and  but  for  the  modern  invasion  of  artificial  cravings 
would  be  wholly  supplied  without  the  intervention 
of  commerce. 

The  Gaucho  lives  almost  exclusively  on  beef  and 


I30 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


mutton,  which  he  cuts  in  long  strips  and  roasts 
before  a  fire.  In  eating  he  holds  one  end  in  his 
hand,  takes  the  other  in  his  mouth,  then  severs  the 
bite  with  his  belt-knife.  Wherever  he  may  be,  the 
abundant  herds  and  flocks,  and  his  ready  knife,  in- 
sure him  a  meal,  and  if  night  overtakes  him  away 
from  home  he  lays  his  saddle  on  the  ground,  wraps 
himself  in  his  poncho,  and  lies  down  on  it  to  sleep. 
His  is  a  wild,  free,  unconventional  life,  not  without 
its  charms,  but  it  is  doomed  to  vanish  before  the 
innovation  of  the  restraints  which  those  using  them 
call  civilization. 

There  is  a  larger  foreign  population  resident  in 
Buenos  Ayres  than  in  any  other  Argentine  province. 
The  brief  period  of  tranquillity  that  here  followed 
the  acknowledgment  of  the  independence  of  Span- 
ish America,  and  that  terminated  in  the  short  and 
brilliant  administration  of  Rividavia,  was  especially 
favorable  to  the  interests  of  this  Province.  Two  of 
the  first  acts  of  self-government  were  the  opening 
the  port  of  Buenos  Ayres  and  inviting  immigration. 
With  few  exceptions,  immigration  to  the  La  Plata 
then  meant  immigration  to  Buenos  Ayres,  and  those 
who  got  beyond  the  city  had  no  incentive  to  go 
beyond  the  Province.  The  ever  restless,  ever  ready 
Irish  were  prompt  to  accept  the  invitation,  and  soon 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  I^I 

thirty  thousand  of  thcni  were  scattered  over  these 
fertile  plains  engaged  in  sheep  farming.  To  them, 
more  than  any  other  class,  the  Province  owes  the 
development  of  this  industry.  During  the  troublous 
times  that  followed  the  overthrow  of  the  Rividavia 
government  they  pursued  their  avocation  compara- 
tively undisturbed.  Since  peace  has  again  been 
restored,  immigrants  of  other  nationalities  have  also 
found  their  road  to  wealth  in  this  enterprise. 

The  Argentine  prairies  are  peculiarly  adapted  to 
grazing,  and  are  designated  by  Argentine  economists 
as  "  the  meat-producing"  division  of  the  Republic. 
They  are  of  two  general  classes,  called  hard  camps 
and  soft  camps.  (The  word  camp  is  the  English  ren- 
dering of  the  Spanish  word  campo,  the  synonyme 
of  prairie,  both  words  signifying  treeless  pastures.) 
By  soft  camps  are  meant  the  prairies  upon  which 
soft  grasses  and  succulent  pasture  plants,  such  as 
spreading  wheat-grass  and  trefoils,  are  in  the  as- 
cendancy. The  hard  cajnps  are  those  covered  with 
wiry  varieties  of  grass,  and  are  better  for  cattle  than 
for  sheep.  A  square  league  of  good  soft  camp  will 
support  a  flock  of  twenty  thousand  sheep.  When 
stocked  with  half  that  number  it  is  expected  to 
support  the  flock  with  its  increase  for  two  years.  A 
flock  of  sheep  doubles  itself  in  three  years.     There 


132 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


are  two  lambing  seasons,  spring  and  fall.  Fall  lambs 
are  more  hardy,  as  they  have  time  to  gain  strength 
before  the  heat  of  summer  becomes  oppressive. 
Sheep-shearing  begins  from  the  middle  of  October 
to  the  middle  of  November.  Men  and  women  from 
the  country  villages  are  hired  as  shearers.  Two 
men  are  usually  sufficient  to  take  care  of  the  flocks 
of  sheep  on  a  square  league  of  land,  except  at 
shearing-time.  This  care  consists  in  corraling  them 
at  night,  changing  their  feeding-grounds  as  required, 
and  providing  drinking  water  where  there  are  no 
running  streams.  There  is  always  a  demand  for 
men  who  understand  the  business,  and  it  is  not 
unusual  for  an  impecunious  immigrant  "  to  get  a 
start"  by  hiring  himself  out  on  the  shares  as  a 
sheep  farmer.  By  such  an  arrangement  the  laborer 
is  boarded  and  receives  one-third  or  one-fourth  (as 
the  case  may  be)  of  the  increase  of  lambs  and  of 
the  wool  at  shearing-time.  In  this  way  in  a  few 
years  he  finds  himself  with  a  flock  of  his  own 
and  means  at  his  command  to  rent  or  buy  a  camp 
for  their  subsistence. 

After  a  hard  camp  has  been  grazed  by  cattle  a 
few  years  soft  grasses  often  replace  the  original 
growth,  and  sheep  may  then  be  advantageously 
introduced.     The  intelligent  grazier  will,  of  course, 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  1 33 

study  his  own  canipo,  and  introduce  or  vary  his 
flocks  and  herds  accordingly. 

When  cattle  have  become  accustomed  to  their 
feeding-grounds,  two  men  take  care  of  the  herds  on 
a  league  of  land  as  easily  as  of  sheep.  A  herd 
doubles  itself  in  four  years.  Two  thousand  cattle 
are  estimated  to  the  square  league.  In  the  Province 
of  Buenos  Ayres  a  square  league  of  land  costs  from 
twenty  thousand  to  fifty  thousand  dollars,  according 
to  its  distance  from  the  city,  and  in  very  remote 
districts  may  be  bought  even  cheaper. 

The  following  estimates  of  the  costs  and  profits 
of  an  cstaiicia  are  from  an  official  compilation,*  and 
will  serve  as  a  general  illustration.  It  differs  only 
in  minor  details  from  statements  made  to  me  by 
individual  estaiiccros  of  their  personal  knowledge 
and  experience : 

Suppose  the  cost  of  the  land  to  be         .         .  ^40,000 

And  that      .......  20,000 

Is  expended  as  follows  : 

10,000  sheep,  al  corte,  at  $\.\o    .         .         .  $12,000 

1,000  cattle,        "        "     6          ...  6,000 

300  mares,       "         "     4           ...  1,200 

50  saddle  horses     "16          .         .         .  800 

$20,000 

*  Report    of   Argentine    Commission,    prepared    for    Centennial 

Exposition   at   Philadelphia,    1 876. 

12 


134 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


RETURNS. 

2,500  sheep  sold  to  tallow  triers  at  %2 
1,000      "         "     al  corte 
150  cattle     "     to  butchers 
100      "         "     al  corte 
25  mares    "         " 
400  quintals  of  wool 
3         "  hair 


"     1.20 
"  14 
"    6 

"    4 
♦*  12 

"  20 


Total 


^5,000 

1,200 

2,100 

600 

100 

4,800 

60 

^13,860 


EXPENSES   TO   BE   DEDUCTED. 

Salaiy  of  manager  per  annum  .         .  ^240 

Salaiy  of  two  servants  per  annum     .  280 

Salary  of  six  shepherds  per  annum  .  1,020 
Sundry  expenses      .... 


Total 


520 


1,860 


Net  gain $  1 2,000 


In  this  estimate  it  is  presumed  that  the  flesh  of 
animals  slaughtered  on  the  place  will  provide  the 
food  of  the  employes,  and  that  the  skins  of  the 
sheep  and  hides  of  the  cattle  so  slaughtered,  with 
the  tallow  and  bones  sold,  will  meet  other  incidental 
expenses  not  enumerated.  By  the  estimate,  it  will 
be  seen  an  annual  net  gain  of  sixty  per  cent,  of  the 
money  expended  in  stock  is  allowed,  or  an  annual 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  1 35 

net  gain  of  twenty  per  cent,  on  capital  invested  in 
lands  and  stock.  No  allowance  is  made  for  years 
of  drought,  and  pestilence  among  the  herds,  which 
a  prudent  forethought  will  be  likely  to  take  into 
consideration  in  making  investments.  Neither  is  it 
certain  that  the  individual  cstancero  will  be  able  to 
sell  his  flocks,  al  corte  (old  and  young,  large  and 
small,  in  the  flocks  as  they  run),  at  ten  cents  per 
head  more  than  he  pays  for  them. 

Many  city  capitalists  have  estancias,  or  grazing 
farms,  that  they  either  rent  or  place  under  the  care 
of  a  mayor  douio.  Occasionally  one  of  these  has 
a  fine  residence  on  it  in  which  the  family  spend  a 
portion  of  the  summer.  The  buildings  of  the  es- 
tancia  are  of  the  most  primitive  kind.  The  best  are 
of  adobes,  rarely  of  more  than  two  or  three  rooms ; 
the  poorer  ones  are  mud  huts.  When  one  of  the 
genii  dccentc  lives  permanently  on  his  cstancia^  his 
own  residence  is  made  to  conform  as  nearly  to  those 
of  the  towns  as  possible.  The  employes  occupy 
their  several  homes  on  different  parts  of  the  grounds. 

Sheep  bought  by  the  tallow  triers  are  skinned 
and  the  whole  carcass  thrown  into  boilers.  When 
the  tallow  has  been  tried  out,  the  flesh  taken  from 
the  boilers  is  used  to  replenish  the  fires,  l^cfore 
the  foreign   demand   for   grease   made  economy  an 


1-5  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

object,  the  whole  carcass  was  thrown  into  the  fire 
as  soon  as  the  skin  was  withdrawn,  and  while  it  was 
still  quivering  with  life.  This  disposition  of  it  as 
fuel  may  still  sometimes  be  seen.  It  requires  about 
three  minutes  to  kill  and  skin  a  sheep  and  dispose 
of  the  carcass.  Between  the  returns  of  the  year 
following  the  expulsion  of  Rosas  and  the  union  of 
the  Province  of  Buenos  Ayres  with  the  Argentine 
Confederation, — that  is,  in  the  eight  years  from  1854 
to  1862, — the  export  of  wool  increased  two  hundred 
and  thirty-seven  and  four-fifths  per  cent.  From 
1876  to  1882,  inclusive,  it  increased  twenty-five  per 
cent.  In  the  latter  year  the  total  export  of  wool 
was  244,732,196  pounds,  valued  at  $29,033,000. 

The  unwashed  wool  is  sorted  .in  storehouses 
called  barracas,  and  pressed  into  bales  of  from 
seven  to  nine  quintals.  (The  quintal  is  112  pounds.) 
The  sheepskins  are  also  baled.  Bales  of  skins 
weigh  from  eight  to  eleven  quintals.  France  is 
Argentina's  best  market  for  sheepskins.  By  the 
provincial  returns  of  1881,  Buenos  Ayres  had  57,- 
838,073  sheep,  and  by  the  national  estimates  there 
were  93,000,000  sheep  in  the  Argentine  Republic 
at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1883.  This  is  eleven 
million  more  than  twice  as  many  as  there  were  then 
in  the  United  States.     Australia,  with  its  72,000,000 


OF  SO  urn  AMERICA. 


137 


sheep,  ranks   next  after  the  Argentine  Republic  as 
the  world's  supplier  of  wool. 

Fat  cattle  are  generally  taken  to  market  by  agents 
called  abatoirs.  Except  for  the  supply  of  city 
markets  or  exportation  on  foot  to  the  neighboring  re- 
publics, they  arc  disposed  of  to  tallow  triers  or  at  the 
salfderos,  where  their  flesh  is  skinned  off  in  layers 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  in  thickness,  then  cut 
into  strips,  and  after  lying  piled  in  salt  a  few  days 
is  dried  in  the  air,  and  in  this  state  is  known  to 
commerce  as  came  scca  (dried  meat),  which  was 
long  one  of  the  most  important  of  Argentina's 
minor  articles  of  export.  However,  a  heavy  duty 
laid  on  it  by  some  of  those  nations  which  were 
the  best  customers  have  almost  discouraged  its 
production,  and  within  the  past  few  years  some  of 
the  largest  saledcros  in  Buenos  Ayres  have  been 
closed.  Only  about  five  minutes  are  required  to 
slaughter  and  skin  an  ox,  cut  its  flesh  into  strips, 
salt,  and  pile  it  up. 

When  cattle  are  sold  to  the  tallow  triers,  their 
carcasses  are  treated  the  same  as  those  of  sheep, 
and  the  tallow  is  run  from  the  boilers  into  barrels 
for  shipment.  The  hides  are  stretched  on  scaffolds 
and  dried  in  the  sun,  then  passed  through  a  poi- 
sonous solution  to  preserve  them  from  the  ravages 


12' 


J23  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

of  bugs  and  worms.  They  are  exported  without 
being  baled,  and  handled  separately  at  each  re- 
shipment.  Those  handling  them  keep  tally  in  a 
monotonous  sing-song  in  counts  of  ten,  as  they 
pass  the  hides  along.  The  large  bones  are  ground 
into  bone  flour  for  European  agriculturists. 

To  Don  Jorge  de  Mendoza,  who,  under  royal 
commission  from  the  king  of  Spain,  fitted  out  the 
first  expedition  for  the  colonization  of  Buenos  Ayres, 
is  due  the  credit  of  the  introduction  of  domestic 
animals  on  the  Argentine  pampas.  It  is  difficult 
to  conceive  the  solitude  of  these  vast  plains,  when 
enlivened  by  neither  ox,  sheep,  nor  horse.  As  a  part 
of  the  equipment  of  his  colony,  Mendoza  brought 
with  him  sixteen  cows,  two  bulls,  thirty-two  horses 
and  mares,  twenty  goats,  forty-six  sheep,  and  eigh- 
teen dogs.  A  part  of  these  were  sent  into  the 
interior  and  became  the  progenitors  of  great  herds 
of  wild  animals,  that  afterwards  were  an  easy  source 
of  wealth,  and,  in  the  development '  of  the  Gaucho 
element,  a  curse  to  the  country.  In  1881,  in  addi- 
tion to  its  nearly  sixty  million  sheep,  Buenos  Ayres 
had  4,754,810  cattle,  2,396,469  horses,  155,134  hogs, 
and  7612  goats.  The  number  of  dogs  does  not 
appear.  In  1880  the  entire  indebtedness  of  the 
Argentine  Republic  was  estimated  at  ten  dollars  per 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


139 


capita  of  its  population,  and  the  value  of  the  cattle 
in  the  Republic  at  twenty  dollars  per  capita. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  civil  war  in  the  United 
States,  while  the  people  were  groaning  under  the 
consequent  load  of  taxation,  a  distinguished  states- 
man made  the  declaration  that  "  TJic  women  of  the 
Western  Reserve  could  churn  out  the  entire  national 
debt  in  ten  years!'  How  long  would  it  require  for 
the  Argentine  plains  to  graze  out  any  sum  required 
for  national  benefit  ? 

An  estaneia  covers  an  area  of  from  eighteen  to 
sixty  square  miles. 

Until  within  the  past  twenty  years  the  opinion  was 
held,  even  by  scientists  who  had  analyzed  the  soil, 
that  the  pampas  were  totally  unfit  for  anything  but 
grazing.  During  his  term  as  President  of  the  Re- 
public, the  patriot  statesman,  Sarmiento,  combated 
this  opinion  with  a  practical  experiment.  Through 
his  efforts  a  section  of  pampa  in  the  very  heart  of 
the  province  of  Buenos  Ayres  was  laid  out  in  small 
fields  for  cultivation,  and  with  considerable  expense 
a  country  town  was  established  in  its  midst  for 
the  accommodation  of  an  agricultural  community. 
Forest  trees  were  planted  and  wheat  culture  intro- 
duced, with  that  variety  of  other  crops  that  can 
alone  insure  agricultural  success.     The  result  of  the 


1^0  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

experiment  was  just  what  Its  projector  anticipated. 
Now  the  Province  has  more  than  a  hundred  thriving 
villages,  more  or  less,  of  the  same  type,  some  of 
which  might  safely  be  ranked  as  boroughs,  and  its 
wheat  crop  of  i88i  amounted  to  three  million 
bushels.  The  general  average  yield  of  wheat  in 
the  Province  is  given  at  twenty-three  bushels  to  the 
acre. 

The  large  estanceros,  as  a  class,  are  averse  to  hav- 
ing their  estancias  divided  or  given  up  to  agricul- 
ture, although  occasionally  one  is  rented  or  sold  for 
that  purpose.  The  introduction  of  tillage  in  any 
form  is  mainly  by  the  fostering  care  of  govern- 
ment, by  placing  public  lands  within  the  reach  of 
agriculturists,  who  are  mostly  foreigners.  "  The 
Spanish  race,  whatever  has  been  its  conquests  in 
the  field  of  Mars,  has  never  been  celebrated  for  its 
achievements  in  that  of  Ceres.  It  does  not  take 
kindly  to  that  manual  labor  which  extracts  wealth 
out  of  the  soil." 

The  public  lands  are  sold  at  public  sale  by  the 
land  commissioner  at  the  cabildo  (government  house 
or  town  hall).  Those  for  grazing  or  agriculture  are 
sold  in  sections  of  a  league  square,  or  in  half  or 
quarter  sections.  The  fractional  sections  are  a 
league   in   length.      Hence,   by  the   expression   "  a 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  I^I 

quarter  league"  of  grazing  or  agricultural  land  is 
meant  a  strip  three  miles  long  and  three-quarters  of 
a  mile  wide  ;  and  by  a  half  league,  a  strip  three 
miles  long  by  one  and  one-half  miles  wide. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres,  and 
all  other  towns  with  any  considerable  population, 
small  plots  of  ground  are  cultivated  in  fruits  and 
vegetables  for  the  city  market.  The  products  are 
more  freely  used  by  foreigners  than  natives.  Such 
small  plots  of  ground  are  sold  by  the  commis- 
sioner under  the  names  oi  chacra  and  quvita  squares. 
As  sold  by  the  commissioner,  a  chacra  lot  is  six 
hundred  yards  square,  and  a  quinta  lot  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  square.  In  common  parlance 
any  small  cultivated  spot  is  a  chacra,  and  any 
house  surrounded  by  trees  or  gardens  is  a  quiiita 
house. 

The  agricultural  colony  of  Bahia  Blanca  was 
established  on  the  shore  of  the  bay  of  the  same 
name  by  the  provincial  government  of  Buenos 
Ayres.  It  was  one  of  the  first  attempts  at  colo- 
nization on  an  extensive  scale,  and  has  been  en- 
couragingly successful.  The  commodious  bay  offers 
superior  advantages  as  a  harbor  for  ships,  and  is 
not  unknown  to  ocean  traffic.  It  is  now  and  pros- 
pectively the   most   important  point  on  the  Atlantic 


142  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

coast  in  the  Argentine  Republic.  A  railroad  already 
connects  its  emporium,  the  town  of  Bahia  Blanca, 
with  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres,  and  a  proposition  is 
pending  for  a  concession  for  a  railroad  to  connect  it 
with  the  west  coast  of  Chili,  by  way  of  the  Bari- 
loche  Pass. 

When  the  Province  had  donated  its  capital  to 
the  Federal  Government,  its  next  care  was  to  select 
for  itself  a  new  location  to  which  to  remove 
the  provincial  "  Lares  and  Penates."  The  site 
chosen  is  on  the  Bay  of  Enseiiada  in  the  La  Plata 
River,  thirty  miles  southeast  of  the  city  of  Buenos 
Ayres.  When  the  site  was  chosen  it  was  a  wilder- 
ness, but  the  Province  set  to  work  vigorously  to 
make  for  itself  a  home.  Ample  blocks  separated 
by  wide  streets  were  laid  out,  and  numerous  trees 
planted  along  its  prospective  avenues.  Within  two 
years  after  the  selection  of  its  location,  the  city  of  La 
Plata,  the  new  capital  of  the  Province,  had  twenty 
thousand  inhabitants  and  finer  public  buildings  than 
are  to  be  found  in  any  other  provincial  capital  of 
the  La  Plata  countries,  if,  indeed,  they  do  not 
surpass  those  of  any  other  South  American  city.  A 
large  sum  is  also  being  expended  from  the  pro- 
vincial treasury  in  constructing  a  port  on  Ensehada 
Bay,  which  is  expected  to  accommodate  the  largest 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


143 


class  of  ocean  ships,  and  will  be  connected  with  the 
new  city  by  a  ship  canal. 

As  the  making  of  adobes  was  too  slow  a  process 
to  meet  the  demands  of  the  rising  city,  a  number 
of  frame  houses,  ready  to  put  up,  were  imported 
from  the  United  States.  These  made  so  favorable 
an  impression,  alike  by  their  beauty,  the  rapidity 
of  their  construction,  and  their  small  cost  compared 
with  native  houses  of  equal  dimensions,  that  a 
number  were  ordered  by  cstanceros  in  different  parts 
of  the  Province. 


144 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE  ENTREPOT  OF  THE  INTERIOR. 

The  term  Rio  de  la  Plata,  which  gives  the  name 
to  the  entire  river  system,  in  its  local  signification 
is  now  applied  only  to  the  estuary  that  receives  the 
waters  of  numerous  tributaries  and  mixes  them 
equally  with  those  of  the  ocean  which  it  feeds. 
The  contributions  of  the  tributaries  have  already 
been  collected  in  the  Parana  and  Uruguay  Rivers, 
which  enter  at  the  head  of  the  estuary.  In  the 
lower  part  of  these  two  rivers,  earth  and  water 
have  for  centuries  contended  for  the  supremacy  in 
a  manner  equally  inimical  to  husbandry  and  navi- 
gation. The  result  is  an  inland  archipelago,  with 
an  aggregate  land  surface  of  between  3000  and 
4000  square  miles,  two-thirds  of  which  is  in  the 
Parana.  The  lower  part  of  the  Parana  River — in 
Vv'hich  is  the  larger  portion  of  this  archipelago — 
is  about  thirty  miles  wide,  and  the  average  width 
of  the  river  below  the  mouth  of  the  Paraguay  is 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  1 45 

given  at  nine  miles.  Among  many  schemes  for 
the  advancement  of  the  country  that  occupied  tlie 
thoughts  of  statesmen  in  the  early  days  of  national 
independence,  was  one  for  the  improvement  of 
these  islands.  Fruit  trees  were  planted  on  the 
higher  ones,  and  on  some  of  those  little  above  the 
surface  of  the  water  the  osier  willow  was  intro- 
duced from  Chili.  As  a  first  result  of  this  scheme 
several  noted  patriots  carried  lighter  purses,  and 
had  the  opportunity  of  possessing  their  souls  in 
patience  while  the  more  "practical  minded"  amused 
themselves  over  their  folly.  Years  rolled  on,  and 
anarchy  had  shrouded  in  gloom  the  brightest  hopes 
of  the  most  hopeful,  but  still  the  willows  grew  and 
spread  from  island  to  island,  and  the  fruit  trees 
scattered  seeds  for  a  future  gathering.  Ultimately 
the  willows  of  the  Parana  Islands  have  furnished 
a  no  inconsiderable  supply  of  fuel  to  the  citizens  of 
Buenos  Ayres  and  Montevideo,  rivalling  the  plan- 
tations of  peach  trees  cultivated  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. Also  within  a  few  years  past  osier  basket 
work  is  becoming  an  industry  of  considerable  im- 
portance, and  promises  an  increasing  development. 
The  fruits  from  the  islands  are  no  insignificant  item 
in  the  city  markets,  and  a  bitter  drink  called  Jics- 
pcridcna  is  made  from  their  oranges.     As  an  inci- 

Q         A  13 


1^6  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

dental  result  of  that  wild  scheme  of  the  dreamers, 
the  tourist  on  the  Parana  now  glides  in  and  out 
among  clustering  gems  of  living  verdure.  Graceful 
willow  boughs  sweep  the  water's  edge,  and  among 
their  glossy  leaves  orange  and  lemon  trees  hold  up 
their  golden  balls,  and  an  occasional  basket  of  lus- 
cious peaches  brought  on  board  attest  epicurean 
wealth  beyond  the  reach  of  the  eye,  while  the  scarlet 
clusters  of  the  ciba  blossoms  hang  from  leafless 
boughs  temptingly  near  yet  exasperatingly  remote 
from  the  outstretched  hand. 

If  haste  require,  the  lower  part  of  the  archipelago 
may  be  omitted  from  a  trip  of  the  Parana  by  taking 
the  railroad  from  Buenos  Ayres  to  Campana.  This 
railroad  leads  through  a  monotonous  level  of  par- 
tially cultivated  country,  past  the  bleaching  grounds 
where  the  Buenos  Ayrean  nymphs  of  cleanliness 
ply  their  avocation  on  the  river's  brink ;  past  the 
Palermo  Palace,  the  country-seat  of  the  Dictator 
Rosas,  where  his  beautiful  daughter  Manualita  pre- 
sided over  his  home  with  acknowledged  grace,  and 
from  which  she  escaped  with  her  father  to  an  Eng- 
lish vessel  in  the  roadstead  the  night  after  his  over- 
throw. It  was  on  the  grounds  surrounding  this 
palace  that  he  is  said  to  have  kept  servants  at  work, 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  washing  the  foliage  of 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  j^y 

the  trees  leaf  by  leaf,  and  in  its  dining^-room  that 
he  regaled  his  guests  with  savory  dishes  of  human 
ears,  taken,  perhaps,  from  the  heads  of  their  dearest 
friends. 

In  1882  the  "River  Plata  Meat  Company"  was 
organized  in  London  for  the  purpose  of  supplying 
fresh  frozen  meat  from  the  Argentine  plains  to  the 
people  of  the  British  metropolis.  It  began  opera- 
tions by  erecting  slaughter-houses,  in  connection 
with  large  enclosures  for  sheep,  at  Campana.  The 
first  shipment  (to  be  followed  by  monthly  consign- 
ments) was  made  in  January,  1883.  It  consisted  of 
7000  carcasses  of  an  average  weight  of  thirty-six 
pounds.  It  arrived  in  London  in  good  condition, 
and  a  banquet  was  given  in  honor  of  the  event  by 
the  company,  at  which  the  mutton  was  served  in  a 
variety  of  ways,  and  partaken  of  and  complimented 
by  a  large  number  of  the  aristocracy  and  influential 
citizens. 

The  Campana  depot  is  surrounded  by  a  thicket 
of  low  shrubs,  overhung  by  some  stately  trees, 
noticeable  among  which  is  the  wide-spreading 
onibu.  Close  by  is  the  low  wooden  dock,  at  which 
lies  the  Santa  Fe  steamer  that  daily  connects  with 
the  train.  These  little  floating  palaces,  similar  in 
their  construction  to  those  seen  on  our  rivers,  wind 


148  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

about  among  the  islands  in  a  most  romantic  fashion. 
Clothes  drying  on  the  bushes  indicate  human  life, 
and  an  occasional  mud  hut  shows  a  thought  of 
fixed  habitation.  These  are  homes  of  Italian  wood- 
choppers,  whose  industry  is  manifested  by  piles  of 
willow  **  cord- wood"  awaiting  transportation.  Some- 
times a  canvas  tent  takes  the  place  of  the  mud 
rancJio,  but  quite  as  frequently  the  blue  vault  of 
heaven  and  the  leafy  canopy  is  his  only  shelter. 

The  villages  on  the  lower  Parana  wear  a  look  of 
decay.  San  Nicholas,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
above  Buenos  Ayres,  is  the  first  that  presents  the  ap- 
pearance of  life  or  business  activity.  It  also  has  rail- 
road communication  with  the  latter.  It  was  here  that, 
in  answer  to  the  call  of  the  Governor  of  the  Province 
of  Santa  Fe,  the  General  Congress  met  after  the 
expulsion  of  Rosas  (1852),  and  signed  the  declara- 
tion in  favor  of  republicanism.  The  fact  that  ten 
years  elapsed  before  the  full  intent  of  this  declara- 
tion was  realized  does  not  detract  from  the  glory 
of  San  Nicholas.  The  town  stands  on  a  high  bank 
sloping  towards  the  river,  and  the  balustrades  of 
its  flat  roofs  and  its  cathedral  spires  are  seen  through 
clustering  shade  trees.  It  has  a  population  of  about 
10,000,  and  is  the  port  of  a  good  agricultural  and 
grazing   district.      The   National   Congress   of   1883 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


149 


deemed  this  consideration  of  sufficient  importance 
to  appropriate  $120,000  to  build  it  a  wharf. 

There  are  comparatively  few  islands  above  San 
Nicholas,  and  the  lake-like  expanse  of  the  river 
shows  only  a  dim  border  of  green  for  its  further 
shore.  The  banks  on  the  Santa  Fe  side  are  steep 
and  abrupt,  in  many  places  showing  the  under- 
mining effect  of  the  water.  They  are  of  yellow 
clay,  in  places  mixed  with  a  hard,  calcareous  earth 
called  tosca,  that  is  used  in  making  hydraulic  ce- 
ment. The  channel  lies  near  this  shore.  Thirty 
miles  above  San  Nicholas  a  sharp  curve  in  the 
river  brings  to  sight  the  white-washed,  blue-washed, 
yellow-washed  walls  of  Rosario,  the  first  commer- 
cial city  of  the  Province  of  Santa  Fe,  and  the  second 
in  the  Argentine  Republic.  A  shore  depth  of  water 
unknown  at  lower  points,  and  a  freedom  from  sand- 
bars, gives  it  exceptional  advantages  as  a  shipping 
point.  The  site  of  the  city  is  sixty-five  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  river. 

Nothing  more  surely  indicates  the  advance  made 

since  the  reconstruction   of  1862   than  the  changes 

that  have  taken  place  on  the  Rosario  River  front. 

Then  an    insignificant  building,  that  served  for  the 

receipt  of  custom   dues,  stood   on   the  bluff  almost 

alone.     The  cathedral  towers  appeared  in  the  back- 

13* 


iqo  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

ground.  Save  these,  few  and  unpretentious  were  the 
buildings  seen  from  the  deck  of  approaching  vessels. 
Now  a  commodious  custom-house  with  ample  offices 
and  airy  corridors  crowns  the  brow  of  the  ridge,  the 
low  strip  of  ground  along  the  water's  edge  is  occu- 
pied by  freight  warehouses  and  shipping  offices,  and 
the  whole  curve  of  the  river  presents  a  succession 
of  walls.  The  village  of  scarce  three  thousand 
souls  has  grown  to  the  busy  city  of  forty  thousand. 
Its  foreign  and  domestic  commerce  ranks  second 
only  to  that  of  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres.  For 
the  better  accommodation  of  its  commerce,  in 
1883,  an  appropriation  of  ;$2, 100,000  was  made  by 
the  national  government  for  the  improvement  of  the 
port.  The  streets  about  the  docks  and  custom- 
house are  all  day  long  filled  with  the  clumsy  carts 
that  serve  as  drays  in  connecting  them  with  the 
railroad  station  and  local  business  houses,  and  the 
still  more  cumbrous  carreias  that  connect  them  with 
inland  cities  and  villages. 

There  is  nothing  magnificent  about  this  "  com- 
mercial emporium  of  Santa  Fe,"  "the  entrepot  of  the 
great  interior."  There  are  probably  not  more  than 
a  dozen  houses  in  it  of  more  than  one  story.  There 
is  no  aristocratic  quarter.  Through  one  reja  the 
passer  may  catch  a  glimpse  of  elegance,  and  through 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


151 


the  next  of  broken  baldosas.  Roofs  are  flat,  but 
are  little  used,  except  when  a  street  parade  is  in 
progress.  The  cicio  rasa  (ceiling)  of  rooms  is  often 
only  cotton  cloth  tacked  to  the  rafters  and  papered 
over.  Except  for  this  purpose,  wall-paper  is  used 
but  little  ;  the  inner  walls  being  generally  tastefully 
"  color-washed"  in  panels.  In  the  mind  of  the  native 
architect,  the  one  essential  of  a  house  is  its  easy 
convertibility  from  a  dwelling  to  a  business  house, 
and  vice  versa.  Houses  are  in  good  demand,  and 
rents  are  high.  A  moderately  good  house,  of  the 
size  shown  in  diagram  on  page  152,  commands 
seventy-five  to  one  hundred  dollars  per  month  rent. 
When  it  becomes  desirable  to  increase  the  capacity  of 
the  part  of  the  house  devoted  to  business,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  remove  the  partitions,  which  are  made 
of  a  single  tier  of  brick  and  plastered  without  lath. 
The  accompanying  plan  gives  a  street  front  of  45 
feet :  a^  a,  a,  solid  wall  surrounding  two  sides  and 
rear  end  of  building  lot;  b,  wall  on  street;  doors 
indicated  by  blank  space ;  windows  by  blank  space 
with  dot  in  centre  ;  i,  little  parlor,  sometimes  used  as 
sleeping-room  ;  2,  drawing-room  or  business  house  ; 
3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  family  rooms  ;  10,  dining-room  ;  11, 
12,  servants'  "  dens"  ;  13,  ironing-  or  store-room  ;  14, 
sagua/iy  a  passage  leading  from  front  door  to  patio  ; 


152 


LA    PLATA    COUNTRIES 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


153 


15,  front  patio,  in  which  pots  of  blooniinc^  plants 
grow,  and  the  walls  are  covered  with  vines  of  fra- 
grant bloom.  The  Cape  jasmine  is  a  favorite. 
Sometimes  an  orange  or  fig  tree  grows  in  the  centre, 
a  square  of  the  pavement  being  removed  for  its 
acQommodation.  16,  saguan,  connecting  the  two 
patios  ;  17,  back/^?//^;  O,  cistern  or  well.  This  may 
be  in  the  front  patio,  with  a  vine  trained  over  it. 
(Well    water    is    considered    less    wholesome    than 

cistern  water.)      18,  kitchen  ; ,  fugon  or  cooking 

range.  This  is  a  brick  shelf  built  across  the  kitchen, 
with  shallow  depressions  eight  inches  square  or 
thereabout,  in  which  are  iron  bars,  two  or  three 
inches  from  the  bottom,  on  which  is  laid  a  handful 
of  charcoal.  When  ignited,  the  cooking  vessel  is 
put  over  it.  The  roof  over  the  fugon  is  funnel- 
shaped,  but  the  little  smoke  given  off  by  the  char- 
coal is  as  likely  to  find  its  way  into  the  eyes  of 
the  cook  as  into  this  funnel.  Eight  by  ten  feet 
would  be  regarded  a  very  large  kitchen.  Pantries 
and  closets  do  not  enter  into  the  calculations  of 
house-keepers.  There  is  no  way  of  heating  the 
rooms,  except  in  houses  intended  for  foreigners. 
No  washing  is  done  in  the  houses.  The  lavadera 
carries  the  soiled  clothing  in  a  huge  bundle  on  her 
head   from   the    house  of  her   patron    to  the    river 


154 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


brink,  where  she  rubs  them  by  hand  in  a  shallow 
box,  and  piles  them  on  the  tosca  and  pounds  with  a 
club,  then  rinses  them  in  the  river  and  bleaches 
them  on  the  tosca.  Sometimes  a  hundred  or  m.ore 
women  may  be  seen  standing  from  ankle  to  nearly 
waist  deep  in  the  water  rinsing  clothes.  Soap  is  now 
generally  used  in  the  cities  of  the  litoral.^  In  the 
interior,  saponaceous  plants  still  supply  its  place. 

The  streets  of  Rosario  have  a  uniform  width  of 
twenty-four  feet,  with  a  shallow  surface  drain  on 
each  side.  This  is  the  only  sewerage.  The  streets 
are  paved  with  cobble-stones.  The  sidewalks  are 
three  feet  wide,  close  against  the  houses,  and  are 
mostly  paved  with  common  building  adobes,  that 
quickly  wear  into  miniature  hills  and  valleys.  On 
account  of  subsequent  grading  of  the  streets  the 
sidewalks  are  left  above  them  at  an  elevation  of 
from  two  to  eight  feet,  necessitating  a  constant 
ascending  and  descending  that  makes  pedestrianism 
fatiguing.  By  city  ordinance  no  one  carrying  a 
bundle    or    basket    is    allowed    on    the    sidewalk. 

■*The  term  litoral,  meaning  coast,  is  applied  to  the  shore  of  the 
great  river  courses,  as  well  as  of  the  ocean.  As  there  have  been  no 
towns  upon  the  ocean  coast  until  quite  recently,  by  the  cities  of  the 
litoral  are  really  meant  those  on  the  Rio  de  la  Plata  and  its  tribu- 
taries. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


155 


Hence  laboring  men,  women,  horses,  and  oxen 
trud^re  over  the  cobble-stones  to'jether.  Carts 
make  daily  rounds  to  carry  away  the  sweepings 
of  the  streets  and  the  refuse  of  the  houses.  For 
this  service  each  householder  pays  a  monthly  tax 
that  varies  with  the  needs  of  the  city  treasury.  An 
English  company  supplies  the  town  with  gas,  for 
which  each  householder  pays  a  monthly  tax  for 
each  street  lamp  illuminating  his  premises.  A  vari- 
able monthly  tax  is  also  paid  on  each  door  or  gate, 
for  the  support  of  the  police,  or  celedor  vigilante 
(called  by  English  residents  the  sercno).  Until  1882 
the  Rosario  sercno  called  the  state  of  the  weather 
or  condition  of  sublunary  affairs  at  every  half  hour 
from  ten  p.m.  until  daylight.  Every  letter  was 
prolonged  in  a  monotonous  chant  that  consumed 
nearly  two  minutes  in  the  announcement, — ''  L-a-s 
o-n-c-e  y  7n-e-d-i-a,  y  t-o-d-o  s-e-r-c-n-o I''  (half-past 
eleven,  and  all  is  calm), — the  last  word  being  varied 
for  clouds,  rains,  fogs,  or  any  other  important 
particular.  The  presumption  was  that  all  the  se- 
renos  in  the  city  made  the  announcement  at  the 
same  moment.  In  practice,  one  took  it  up  as  the 
other  had  finished,  and  when  the  last  had  ended, 
the  first  was  ready  to  begin  the  next  call.  The 
continual  vigilance  was  so  inimical  to  slumber  there 


156 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRLES 


was  little  regret  when  the  city  fathers  decided  to 
dispense  with  the  nocturnal  solo. 

The  sereno  stands  all  day  on  the  street  corner  or 
perambulates  his  short  beat,  clad  in  wide  Knicker- 
bockers and  short  jacket, — in  summer,  white  linen ; 
in  winter,  blue,  black,  or  red  woollen, — with  a  small 
knapsack  on  his  back,  a  gun  in  his  hand,  and  a 
short  sword  at  his  side.  For  what  purpose  he 
keeps  his  daily  guard  it  would  be  hard  to  say,  as 
he  seems  utterly  oblivious  to  the  various  little 
services  expected  of  city  police  in  the  United  States. 
It  was  familiarly  asserted  that  if  asked  the  way  to 
any  given  point  his  response  is  as  likely  to  be  "  I 
will  tell  you  for  two  reals,"  as  any  other,  and  that 
in  case  of  disturbance  he  is  as  likely  to  be  the 
disturber  as  the  quieter  of  the  agitation.  It  is  but 
just  to  add  that  street  disturbances  are  rare,  and 
I  knew  of  none,  nor  of  any  incivility  on  the  part 
of  any  city  employe.  The  only  instance  during 
a  residence  of  two  years  in  which  I  saw  the  Rosario 
sereno  on  active  duty,  two  were  marching  off  a 
couple  of  culprits  who  had  stolen  hymn-books  from 
the  Anglican  chapel  after  the  Sabbath  service. 

The  rejas  on  the  windows  of  even  new  houses, 
and  the  heavy  bolts  and  barricades  of  the  doors, 
indicates  the  fear  of  robbery  or  other  lawless  intru- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


157 


sion.  I  was  warned  not  to  leave  any  articles  near 
the  windows  that  could  be  drawn  through  the  rcjas 
by  hooks  on  the  end  of  walking-sticks,  but  saw 
nothing  to  justify  the  warning. 

As  yet  Rosario  has  no  city  water-works.  The 
people  depend  principally  on  cisterns  for  their  water 
supply.  Owing  to  soluble  salts  in  the  soil  well 
water  is  regarded  as  unwholesome,  and,  when  avail- 
able, well  water  is  rarely  used  for  culinary  purposes. 
The  supply  from  the  cistern  is  supplemented  by 
carts  which  peddle  river  water.  A  packet  of  water 
tickets  costing  sixty  cents  entitles  the  holder  to 
forty  large  buckets  of  water,  to  be  delivered  daily 
in  quantities  to  suit  his  convenience.  Large  earthen 
water-pots,  similar  to  those  of  ancient  Palestine, 
stand  in  the  back  patio  to  receive  it, — "  As  the 
manner  of  the  Jews  was  for  purifying."  If  the  river 
water  be  the  sole  family  supply  a  small  filter,  made 
from  lava,  not  unfrequently  bears  the  water-pot 
company.  But  little  use  is  made  of  ice.  Moderate 
quantities  of  natural  ice  are  obtained  from  the  Falk- 
land Islands,  and  artificial  ice  may  be  obtained  from 
Buenos  Ayres  city,  where  it  is  made ;  but  there  is 
little  demand  for  it  amoncf  the  natives.  The  fevorite 
water-cooler    is   an    unglazed    earthen    bottle    with 

stopper  of  the  same  material,  of  the  same  pattern 

14 


158 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


as  was  used  by  the  Peruvians  when,  on  his  first 
landing  on  her  coast,  Marcus  Pizarro  was  entertained 
by  the  hospitable  Indian  princess.  The  constant 
evaporation  keeps  the  water  fresh,  which  is  not  the 
case  with  that  kept  in  glazed  vessels.  Although 
the  water-bottle  is  a  native  article,  for  many  years 
the  potteries  of  Great  Britain  have  supplied  the 
greater  number  of  those  in  use,  as  their  facilities 
make  it  impossible  for  native  workmen  (or  rather 
workwomen,  for  nearly  all  the  pottery  work  in  the 
La  Plata  is  done  by  women)  to  compete  with 
them. 

Business  houses  open  early.  The  business  is 
pre-eminently  mercantile.  Houses  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  and  retail  trade  of  imported  manufactures 
are  interspersed  only  with  such  industrial  pursuits 
as  local  demand  necessitates,  such  as  blacksmith 
and  carpenter  shops  and  bakeries.  The  siesta  is 
universally  taken  in  the  heat  of  the  day.  In  work- 
shops employes  may  be  seen  asleep  in  all  postures 
after  their  eleven  or  twelve  o'clock  breakfast.  It 
may  be  doubted  if  even  a  thief  would  then  have 
ambition  to  ply  his  trade. 

A  single  street-car  track  makes  a  circuit  of  the 
city,  and  connects  it  at  one  extreme  with  the  rail- 
road station   and  at  the  other  with  Plaza  Lopez,  a 


OF  SO  urn  America. 


159 


tiny  sylvan  retreat  laid  out  with  some  care,  but 
little  frequented.  Riding  in  the  street-car  after  the 
sun  is  low  until  late  in  the  evening  is  a  popular 
way  of  taking  the  air. 

Etiquette  demands  that  a  lady  shall  be  accom- 
panied on  the  street  by  a  servant  if  she  have  no 
other  companion.  But  a  very  small  servant  may 
**  protect"  her.  When  two  ladies  walk  together  a 
single  one  always  takes  the  outside  of  the  sidewalk 
and  offers  her  hand  to  assist  the  married  lady  up 
and  down  the  steps  at  the  crossings.  If  both  are 
married  the  elder  lady  is  always  given  the  place 
next  the  wall.  When  lady  friends  meet  they  salute 
each  other  with  a  resounding  kiss  on  both  cheeks. 
Gentlemen  sometimes  salute  each  other  in  like 
manner  and  often  embrace  each  other  rapturously. 
Great  deference  is  always  shown  in  public  by  gentle- 
men to  ladies.  A  man  and  his  wife  are  rarely  seen 
on  the  street  together,  but  daughters  frequently 
accompany  their  fathers,  who  lavish  caresses  upon 
them  unsparingly.  The  peon  class  maintain  the 
non-committal  expression  of  countenance  character- 
istic of  the  Indian,  and  seldom  make  any  public 
demonstration  of  emotion. 

As  in  the  lower  cities,  the  chaiicadcro  stands  on 
the  street  corners  and  around  the  markets  waiting 


l6o  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

to  be  hired.  The  milkman  from  the  country  car- 
ries his  cans  in  leather  pouches  on  horseback,  and 
if  the  customer  complains  of  the  quality  of  the 
milk  unhesitatingly  declares  that  it  has  not  been 
watered  below  the  legal  standard,  or  he  may  beg 
pardon  and  say  that  by  mistake  he  took  it  from 
the  wrong  can.  The  pannier  baskets  of  ox-hide, 
until  within  a  few  years,  were  as  common  here 
as  in  Montevideo  and  the  towns  of  the  interior, 
but  are  now  superseded  by  the  cart,  which  serves 
all  draying  purposes.  This  cart  is  a  clumsy  affair, 
with  a  bed  resembling  a  wood  frame  or  freight  car. 
It  is  drawn  by  a  single  horse  attached  to  the  wooden 
tongue,  of  dimensions  that  might  serve  for  a  house 
sill,  by  means  of  a  band  drawn  around  its  body  as 
close-fitting  as  a  seTw^ita's  corset.  This  band  is 
called  a  cinch,  and,  with  a  bridle,  constitutes  the 
harness.  A  strip  of  raw-hide  or  a  leather  strap 
passes  through  a  hole  bored  through  the  cart  tongue 
near  the  end  and  ties  it  to  the  cincJi.  When  the 
cart  is  to  be  turned,  the  end  of  the  tongue  presses 
against  the  side  of  the  horse.  Cart-horses  are  pitia- 
ble looking  objects,  but  if  mention  be  made  of  them 
the  general  opinion  is  expressed,  "  They  do  not 
feel,"  or  "  They  are  cheap."  The  carrctas,  for  in- 
land journeys,  are   covered  with   canvas   or  thatch, 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  l6l 

and  are  drawn  by  six  or  more  yoke  of  bullocks. 
The  bullock  yoke  corresponds  with  the  massive 
cart  tongue,  and,  resting  close  on  the  back  of  the 
heads  of  the  cattle,  bows  them  almost  to  the  ground. 
No  iron  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  the  carretas^ 
and,  where  wedging  is  not  sufficient,  tying  with  raw- 
hide is  resorted  to  instead  of  nails.  A  mercantile 
caravan  consists  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  of  these 
carretas  under  the  control  of  a  "  captain."  A  car- 
penter, called  the  "  master,"  accompanies  the  cara- 
van. Eight  thousand  such  caravans  annually  leave 
Rosario  for  various  inland  points  in  the  several  prov- 
inces. The  average  carrcta  load  is  four  thousand 
pounds. 

The  carreta  yard  and  the  railroad  station  represent 
the  Spanish-American  and  the  Anglo-American  ideas 
now  harmoniously  blending.  Since  the  Spanish 
invasion,  until  within  the  past  twenty  years,  **  the 
cumbrous,  creaking  carreta''  and  the  pack-horse  or 
mule  were  the  only  means  of  transporting  merchan- 
dise of  any  kind  from  one  part  of  the  La  Plata 
countries  to  another,  and  in  consequence  it  reached 
the  consumer  burdened  with  onerous  charges.  Until 
Rosario  became  a  port  of  foreign  entry,  the  cities 
of  the  interior  received  their  supplies  from  Buenos 

Ayres.     The  cart  road   between  that  port  and  the 
I  14* 


1 62  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

city  of  Mendoza  represented  a  distance  of  nine 
hundred  miles,  and  three  months  were  required  for 
a  caravan  to  make  the  journey.  The  cost  of  car- 
riage was  from  forty  to  one  hundred  dollars  per 
load.  When  Rosario  became  a  port  of  entry  the 
people  of  Mendoza  were  enabled  to  reach  a  depot 
of  European  supplies  by  a  carreta  path  of  only  five 
hundred  miles,  and  the  consumption  of  imported 
articles  increased  accordingly.  Until  within  the  past 
year  the  citizens  of  this  western  capital  were  com- 
pelled to  keep  up  their  connection  for  at  least  a  part 
of  the  distance  to  the  La  Plata  ports  with  carrctas 
or  pack-mules,  and  to  receive  all  the  manufactured 
goods  used  by  them  through  their  agency,  or  by 
the  still  more  expensive  one  of  troops  of  pack- 
mules  over  the  Andes  from  the  ports  of  Chili. 

Carreta  traffic  is  now  supplemented  by  stage- 
coach lines,  some  of  which  receive  a  subsidy  from 
the  provincial  governments,  and  others  are  subsidized 
by  the  national  government.  In  1883  the  province 
of  Santa  Fe  had  fourteen  stage-coach  lines,  of 
which  the  principal  ones  had  their  headquarters  in 
Rosario.  The  stage-coach,  called  galera  by  the 
natives  and  diligence  by  the  English  residents,  is  a 
wooden-topped  carriage,  without  springs,  and  in- 
tended  to   accommodate    from   ten   to   thirty   pas- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  l5^ 

senders.  Except  what  Uigf^age  can  be  stowed  under 
the  seats,  all  freight,  includini^  live  fowls  and  fruits, 
quadrupeds,  vegetables,  and  dry  goods,  are  piled  on 
the  top.  The  galera  is  drawn  by  eight  or  twelve 
horses,  four  abreast,  which  are  kept  at  a  gallop,  and 
are  changed  every  ten  or  twelve  miles.  The  driver's 
seat  is  on  the  top,  or  near  the  top  of  the  coach  in 
front,  and  an  assistant  rides  one  of  the  lead  horses. 
An  extra  horse,  hitched  only  by  its  head,  gallops 
along  with  the  others  ready  for  an  extra  pull  at  the 
wheel  in  case  of  miring  or  unusually  deep  ruts. 
The  pucsta,  where  the  horses  are  changed,  may 
simply  be  a  corral  by  the  wayside,  into  which  the 
horses  for  the  change  have  been  driven  by  an  at- 
tendant before  the  arrival  of  the  galera  (in  default 
of  such  promptness  they  are  caught,  where  feeding, 
with  the  bolas),  or  it  may  be  a  wayside  inn  at  which 
the  traveller  may  find  refreshment.  Relays  of 
saddle-horses  may  also  be  obtained  by  those  prefer- 
ring this  mode  of  travel.  The  charges  for  horses 
and  attendants  are  moderate.  Horseback  is  the 
favorite  mode  of  travel  among  the  Argentines. 
Country  gentlemen  usually  prefer  to  take  with  them 
their  own  tropilla  (little  troop)  of  horses  for  their 
journey.  For  the  accommodation  of  half  a  dozen 
gentlemen  travelling  in  this  way,  d^  peon  drives  along 


164 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


from  twenty  to  thirty  loose  horses.  When  a  few 
leagues  have  been  passed  the  saddles  are  changed 
to  some  of  these  fresh  beasts,  and  in  this  way  a 
continuous  gallop  is  kept  up,  and  from  sixty  to  one 
hundred  miles  made  in  a  day  without  great  fatigue 
either  to  horse  or  rider.  In  the  country,  ladies  often 
ride  from  eight  to  ten  leagues  for  pleasure  without 
complaining  of  fatigue.  Spanish-American  ladies 
are  rarely  seen  on  horseback  in  Rosario.  The  de- 
lights of  equestrianship  are  there  left  almost  wholly 
to  their  fair  foreign  neighbors,  and  the  conveniences 
of  it  to  marketmen  and  women  and  to  beggars. 

*'  Beggars  on  horseback"  is  not  a  figure  of  speech 
here.  They  often  make  their  rounds  in  this  way. 
Several  who  are  socially  disposed  sometimes  bear 
each  other  company.  Beggary  is  legalized,  and  the 
beggar  is  a  notable  if  not  a  noteworthy  member  of 
society.  Those  licensed  by  the  city  wear  a  metal 
badge.  They  may  ply  their  vocation  at  any  time, 
but  Saturday  is  regarded  as  pre-eminently  "  the 
beggar's  day."  On  it  they  confidently  expect  to 
find  something  ready  for  them  both  at  business  and 
private  houses,  and  to  receive  something  from  those 
whom  they  may  meet  on  the  street.  They  are  not 
importunate,  but  expect  their  apparent  misfortune 
and  their  badge  to  plead  for  them.     Nor  does  his 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  I^r 

more  opulent  fcUow-citizcn  find  it  necessary  to  warn 
them  to  "  clear  out!"  He  simply  says  pcnioiie  me 
(excuse  me),  and  the  suppliant  knows  that  he  is  to 
get  nothing.  The  entrance  to  the  cathedral  and  the 
edges  of  the  sidewalk  a  little  distance  from  the 
theatres  are  favorite  resting-places  for  beggars, 
especially  before  the  opening  of  a  grand /}///^/^;/. 

Rosario  has  two  theatres  which  receive  consider- 
able patronage.  These,  with  the  church  fiestas  and 
patriotic  celebrations,  are  the  only  popular  public 
amusements.  It  is  asserted  by  old  residents  that 
people  now  think  of  nothing  but  making  money. 
That  all  classes  have  become  infected  with  the  desire 
to  get  rich  to  such  an  extent  that  they  cannot 
take  time  even  for  the  claims  of  religion;  that  to 
see  a  procession  in  honor  of  any  of  the  saints, 
such  as  used  to  be  here  "  in  the  good  old  times," 
one  must  now  go  to  the  cities  of  the  interior. 

After  Buenos  Ayres  this  is  the  most  **  foreign," 
and  in  religion  the  most  "  liberal,"  city  of  the  Re- 
public. It  is  estimated  that  three  per  cent,  of  the 
population  are  Protestants.  This  includes  English 
residents  who  are  adherents  of  the  Ancflican  Church, 
adherents  of  the  American  Methodist  Church,  spirit- 
ualists, rationalists,  infidels,  and  skeptics  of  every 
grade. 


1 66  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

Of  the  numerous  church  fiestas  that  in  honor 
of  My  Lady  of  Rosario,  the  patron  saint  (or  god- 
dess) of  the  city,  is  perhaps  the  most  popular. 
On  one  occasion  when  I  attended  this  fiesta^  the 
cathedral  bell  rang  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
to  announce  readiness  for  the  pageant.  Female 
worshippers  multiplied  rapidly,  but  men  were  scat- 
tered sparsely  through  the  company  during  the 
first  part  of  the  service.  (It  is  jestingly  said  that 
women  go  to  church  to  worship  and  men  go  to 
admire  them  at  their  devotions.)  As  the  cere- 
monies continued  the  number  of  these  "admirers" 
increased. 

Raised  on  a  platform  in  front  of  the  altar  stood 
a  life-sized  figure  holding  an  infantile  form  in  her 
left  hand  and  in  her  right  a  silver  sceptre  almost 
as  long  as  herself  Her  white  satin  dress,  heavily 
embroidered  with  gold  and  trimmed  with  deep  lace, 
fell  over  the  platform  in  a  long  train.  On  her  head 
was  a  crown  that  would  outmeasure  the  six  in  the 
London  Tower.  Her  platform  and  the  space  above 
it  was  adorned  with  huge  bouquets  of  paper  flowers 
and  tawdry  trinkets.  At  the  ringing  of  a  bell  the 
worshippers  prostrated  themselves  before  her.  The 
visible  devotions  consisted  in  crossing  the  forefinger 
of  the  right  hand  in  front  of  the  thumb,  and  with 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


167 


the  latter  touching, —  ist.  Ri^^ht  cheek,  left  cheek, 
forehead,  and  chin;  2d.  Rii^lit  temple,  left  temple, 
forehead,  and  nose;  3d.  With  open  palm,  right 
shoulder,  left  shoulder,  forehead,  and  breast.  Be- 
tween each  of  these  exercises  the  thumb  is  brought 
to  the  lips. 

With  the  well  dressed  these  ceremonies  were 
about  equally  divided  with  the  adjustment  of  the 
dress.  At  a  touch  of  the  bell,  the  worshipper 
dropped  gracefully  on  her  knees,  reached  back  and 
arranged  the  drapery  over  her  feet  in  such  a  way 
as  to  display  the  trimming  to  the  best  advantage, 
kissed  her  thumb  to  the  image,  and  if  she  chanced 
to  espy  an  acquaintance,  smiled  and  bowed  to  her, 
concluded  the  crossing  motions,  readjusted  her 
flounces,  bowed  and  smiled  again,  and  again  counted 
off  prayers  till  the  bell  recalled  her  to  her  feet. 
The  poorly  dressed  and  those  in  mourning  weeds 
or  the  costume  of  a  vow  never  lifted  their  eyes 
from  the  image  or  ceased  for  a  moment  their  mute 
supplications.  At  intervals  the  bell-ringing  is 
changed  to  the  swinging  of  censers. 

From  a  high  box  pulpit  a  priest  pronounced  a 
long  eulogium  in  which  the  name  Schora  was  fre- 
quently repeated.  At  regular  intervals  he  prolonged 
the  final  syllable  on,  which  was  always  followed  by 


1 58  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

a  murmured  response  from  the  kneeling  multitude. 
Then  followed  more  bell-ringing,  more  swinging 
of  censers,  more  prostrations,  more  adjustment  of 
flounces,  more  crossings  and  kissing  of  thumbs. 

Little  boys  appeared  in  front,  and  candles  were 
taken  from  about  the  altar  and  put  into  their  hands. 
Men  in  tatters  went  forward  and  took  their  places 
as  torch-bearers.  The  platform  was  taken  on  men's 
shoulders.  Two  military  bands  in  front  of  the 
cathedral  struck  up  their  harsh  music,  an  anthem 
was  chanted,  and  the  image  began  its  journey,  fol- 
lowed by  the  officiating  priests  in  long  white  satin 
mantles  embroidered  with  gold.  They  were  sup- 
ported on  either  side  by  priests  in  more  scant  robes 
of  the  same  material  and  having  lace  about  their 
skirts.  These  were  followed  by  other  priests  of 
various  orders,  none  of  which  represented  the  fakir 
or  starveling  class.  Whatever  may  be  the  faults  of 
the  national  religion,  it  does  not  interfere  with 
digestion,  if  the  clergy  be  taken  as  specimens. 

At  the  cathedral  door  the  torch-bearers  closed 
ranks  after  the  priests.  One  military  company  pre- 
ceded and  another  followed  the  cortege,  which 
moved  slowly  through  the  streets.  A  halt  was 
made  at  the  corner  and  middle  of  each  block, 
where  a  carpet  was  spread  in  the  street  and  a  table 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


169 


placed  on  it  as  a  resting-place  for  the  sacred  burden. 
During  each  of  these  pauses  praises  were  chanted 
and  incense  burned,  the  supporters  of  the  officiating 
priest  holding  back  his  mantle  as  he  swung  the 
censer.  Some  worshippers  prostrated  themselves 
in  the  dust.  A  few  laid  their  faces  on  the  ground. 
(None  of  these  were  of  the  gcnte  decente.)  Again 
the  image  was  raised ;  again  flowers  were  strewed 
in  her  way ;  again  the  drums  beat  and  the  soldiers 
thrust  back  the  people  to  clear  a  passage  until  the 
circuit  of  the  principal  blocks  of  the  city  was  made, 
and  between  the  files  of  torch-bearers  the  imacre 
was  restored  to  its  place  in  the  cathedral  as  the 
last  rays  of  the  sun  were  gilding  the  tree-tops. 

At  the  festival  of  Corpus  Christi  a  human  figure 
of  heroic  size,  ghastly  with  imitation  blood  drops, 
recumbent  in  a  glass  case,  that  serves  for  a  bier, 
is  carried  around  a  few  squares  and  back  to  the 
cathedral,  where  crowds  of  women  and  children, 
and  an  occasional  man,  kiss  the  hangings  of  the  bier, 
then  turn  to  supplicate  "The  Mother  of  God"  and 
drop  an  offering  into  her  outstretched  apron. 

The  cemetery  is  a  league  beyond  the  city  limits. 
The  enclosing  walls  are  only  thick  enough  to  allow 
the  coffins  to  be  put  into  the  receptacle  sidewise. 
This  gives  more  room  for  memorial  tablets  than  in 


I/O 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRLES 


the  Montevideo  cemetery,  but  on  them  I  failed  to 
find  any  expression  of  the  comfort  of  the  Christian's 
hope.  They  bear  rather  the  wail  of  bleeding  hearts 
and  a  dread  of  the  unknown  future  into  which  the 
departed  have  entered,  for  the  mitigation  of  whose 
sufferings  prayers  are  implored.  Here,  too,  the  re- 
ceptacles in  the  wall  are  rented.  The  greater  part  of 
the  enclosure  is  occupied  with  simple  vaults,  pagodas, 
rotundas,  etc.,  filled  with  receptacles  for  the  dead, 
the  style  of  the  building  indicating  the  social  rank 
of  the  occupant.     Some  of  these,  also,  are  rented. 

The  "  Well"  is  the  refuge  of  bankrupt  tenants. 
It  is  a  huge,  dry  cistern  near  the  corner  of  the 
cemetery  most  remote  from  the  entrance,  covered 
with  a  hinged  iron  lid.  I  lifted  that  lid  for  one 
suffocating  moment.  Grinning  skulls,  dried  mus- 
cles, arms,  legs,  dry  bones,  putrefying  bodies  of  all 
sizes,  were  heaped  upon  each  other  as  tossed  from 
the  cart  "  in  one  rude  burial  blent." 

The  *'  Potter's  Field"  has  no  separating  wall.  It 
is  simply  a  wide  trench  parallel  with  the  wall,  be- 
ginning near  the  "  Well."  Into  it,  without  coffin  or 
winding-sheet,  the  poor  are  cast  and  a  little  earth 
thrown  over  them.  The  portion  most  recently  used 
forms  a  ridge  about  two  feet  above  the  general  level. 
Once,  where  part   of  the   trench   had  been   opened 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


171 


ready  to  receive  a  body  (although  none  could  be 
interred  before  the  next  day),  I  saw  a  hunum  foot 
protruding  from  the  loosened  soil. 

All  Souls  Day  (the  2d  of  November)  being  that 
on  which  souls  may  be  released  from  purgatory,  is 
the  great  day  of  the  year  at  the  cemetery.  AH 
classes  resort  thither,  hoping  by  their  prayers  and 
offerings  to  mitigate  the  sufferings  of  their  dead, 
even  if  they  cannot  effect  their  deliverance.  It 
is  also  the  day  on  which  the  living  garland  the 
tombs  of  their  dead.  Wreaths  of  bead-work  are 
much  in  vogue  for  this  purpose,  as  they  last  through 
the  year;  but  every  kind  of  ornament  is  used.  Be- 
fore the  more  costly  shrines,  in  wreaths  on  the  wall, 
in  clumps  of  shrubbery,  and  in  tufts  of  coarse  grass 
and  wild  flags,  candles  are  lighted,  and  beside  them 
prostrate  figures  count  their  prayer-balls.  Before 
some  of  the  most  costly  tombs  hired  mourners 
continue  a  doleful  wailing.  Even  by  the  side  of 
the  poor  man's  trench  a  few  half-penny  tapers  flicker, 
tokens  of  the  human  love  vainly  seeking  to  dispel 
the  gloom  from  the  next  life  with  the  earth-lights 
that  have  as  vainly  sought  to  dispel  the  shadows 
from  the  life  that  now  is.  By  the  "  Well,"  fit  em- 
blem of  a  hopeless  eternity,  neither  love  nor  super- 
stition lights  a  torch. 


1/2 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


These  yearly  lamentations  for  the  dead  often  con- 
tinue through  the  week,  the  wailings  of  the  wealthy 
being  kept  up  by  hired  mourners.  But  the  true 
mourners  must  visit  the  graves  at  least  once  during 
the  week  to  light  the  candle  for  their  dead.  This 
practice  must  be  continued  till  death  dries  the  foun- 
tain of  their  tears. 

Formerly  All  Souls  Day  was  celebrated  by  osten- 
tatious ceremonies  performed  by  the  priests  in  the 
cemetery  as  well  as  in  the  cathedral,  and  a  remu- 
nerative traffic  carried  on  in  dead  men's  souls.  But 
a  few  years  ago  the  priests  came  in  collision  with 
the  municipality  on  the  question  of  the  burial  of  a 
Protestant  stranger.  The  municipality  came  out 
victor  in  the  contest,  and  now  it  may  bury  whom  it 
pleases  within  those  walls,  while  the  priests  are  ex- 
cluded on  this  day  of  days.  Even  though  there  be 
a  funeral,  they  must  conclude  their  ministrations 
outside  the  gate.  There  is  now  also  a  Protestant 
cemetery  a  little  more  than  a  league  from  the  city, 
where,  with  others,  a  few  North  Americans  "  sleep 
the  last  sleep." 

When  death  enters  a  La  Plata  household,  the 
body  lies  in  state,  but  the  family  is  invisible.  Some- 
times the  corpse  is  placed  in  a  sitting  posture, 
dressed  as  handsomely  as  possible,  and  surrounded 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


173 


by  flowers.  Before  it  hired  mourners  make  night 
hideous.  Near  and  remote  relatives  go  into  mourn- 
ing. For  men  this  is  the  simple  crape  on  the  hat, 
with  the  customary  black  suit;  for  women  a  plain, 
black  trailing  robe,  a  black  Cashmere  shawl  pinned 
close  over  the  head,  whence  it  hangs  straight  down 
the  back,  often  dragging  upon  the  ground,  and  a 
long,  black  crape  veil  which  shrouds  the  face. 
For  a  husband  this  garb  is  worn  three  years,  for 
a  parent  two  years,  for  a  sister  or  brother  one 
year,  and  for  cousins  from  three  to  nine  months. 
Crape  hangs  on  the  door  from  six  weeks  to  six 
months.  During  the  first  three  weeks  of  mourning 
only  the  most  intimate  friends  may  make  visits  of 
condolence,  and  then  they  are  not  received  by  a 
member  of  the  family,  but  by  some  one  in  attend- 
ance for  the  purpose.  Later  the  afflicted  family 
may  receive  such  calls  in  a  room  destitute  of  pict- 
ures, flowers,  and  all  ornaments.  The  members  of 
the  family  make  no  visits  within  six  months,  and 
no  evening  visits  within  nine  months.  Married 
ladies  make  no  calls  within  a  year  after  going  into 
mourning.  A  piano  is  not  opened  within  three 
months  after  a  death  has  occurred  in  a  house,  and 
in  case  of  the  rending  of  near  ties,  music  and  all 

pleasant  things  are  banished  for  a  year. 

IS* 


ly^  LA    PLATA    COUNTRIES 


CHAPTER    XII. 

AMUSEMENTS  AND  INCIDENTS. 

**  Carnival,"  the  Saturnalia  of  the  Romish  Church, 
is  the  great  fiesta, — the  event  of  the  year.  Every- 
thing looks  forward  to  it.  Everything  stops  for  it. 
Everything  dates  from  it.  It  can  scarcely  be  called 
a  religious  festival,  yet  it  is  one  fostered  by  the 
church.  A  devout  lady  explained  to  me:  "The 
Holy  Church  has  found  it  necessary  to  give  this 
respite  to  her  faithful  children  as  a  preparation,  that 
they  may  be  able  to  endure  the  sore  rigors  of  the 
long  season  of  mourning.  They  have  carnival  to 
brace  them  up  for  Lent." 

In  1 88 1  this  season  of  special  preparation  for  the 
contemplation  of  our  Lord's  death  began  on  Sabbath, 
February  27.  As  it  was  my  first  carnival  season 
there,  I  observed  it  closely.  For  weeks  preceding 
the  windows  of  business  houses  were  filled  with 
masks  of  all  descriptions  and  other  appliances  for 
its  proper  observance.      Chief  among   these   appli- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  jyc 

ances  Is  the  ponio^  a  small  can  or  bottle  of  soft, 
flexible  tin,  with  screwed  cap  over  the  small  neck. 
The  J>d;/id  varies  in  length  from  three  to  nine  inches, 
and  in  diameter  from  half  an  inch  to  two  inches. 
The  cost  of  a  common  article  is  from  twenty-five 
cents  to  one  dollar.  But  the  quality,  quite  as  much 
as  the  quantity,  of  the  contents  determines  the  value. 
The  poind  contains  perfumed  water.  Every  variety 
of  perfume  is  discernible.  It  is  said  that  poisoned 
poinds  are  used  as  a  means  of  taking  vengeance  on 
an  enemy,  or  settling  an  old  grudge.  The  top  being 
removed,  and  the  ponio  squeezed  between  the  finger 
and  thumb,  a  fine,  steady  stream  of  water  is  poured 
upon  the  object  of  attack.  The  chief  aim  is  at  the  eye. 
The  ear  is  the  next  mark  in  favor;  then  the  neck  and 
mouth.  But  no  part  enjoys  immunity.  The  only 
way  to  escape  being  made  a  target  is  to  stay  close 
within  doors  and  see  that  every  crevice  is  closed. 
The  custom  is  said  to  be  of  great  antiquity,  coming 
down  from  the  Moors,  and  is  a  refinement  on  the 
practice  formerly  in  vogue  of  deluging*  with  pailfuls 

*  A  close  analogy  may  be  traced  between  this  phase  of  the  carni- 
val and  the  Buddhist  celebration  of  the  new  year,  which,  as  practised 
in  Laos,  is  thus  described  by  Miss  Emelie  McSilvary  :  "All,  espe- 
cially the  young,  give  themselves  up  to  a  peculiar  form  of  merry- 
making, consisting   in   giving  every  one  a  shower.      Armed    with 


1-76  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

of  water, — a  custom  which  is  not  yet  altogether 
extinct. 

yntil  the  church  lost  its  absolute  power,  utter 
lawlessness  prevailed  during  the  days  of  carnival. 
Whatever  came  into  human  thought  might  express 
itself  in  action.  But  now  the  civil  power  interposes 
some  restrictions.     It  has  prohibited  the  buckets  of 

buckets  of  water  and  bamboo  reeds,  by  which  they  can  squirt  the 
water  some  distance,  these  people  place  themselves  at  the  doors  and 
gates  and  on  the  streets  ready  to  give  any  passer-by  a  drenching, 
marking  out  as  special  victims  those  who  are  foolish  enough  to  wear 
good  clothes  on  such  a  day.  It  is  most  amusing  to  watch  them,  after 
exhausting  their  supply  of  water,  hasten  to  the  river  or  well  and  run 
back,  fearing  the  loss  of  one  opportunity.  Sometimes  several  tor- 
rents are  directed  to  one  poor  individual ;  then,  after  the  drenching, 
shouts  of  laughter  fill  the  air.  On  this  day  the  king  and  his  court, 
with  a  long  retinue  of  slaves,  go  to  the  river.  Some  of  the  attend- 
ants carry  silver  or  brass  basins  filled  with  water  perfumed  with  some 
scented  shrub  or  flower.  .  .  .  The  perfumed  water  is  then  poured  on 
the  king's  head,  afterwards  on  the  heads  of  the  nobles.  .  .  .  The 
custom  is  also  observed  in  families.  A  basin  of  water  is  poured  on 
the  head  of  the  father,  mother,  and  grandparents  by  the  eldest  son 
or  by  some  respected  member  of  the  family.  This  ceremony  has 
some  religious  significance,  being  symbolical  of  blessing  and  felicity. 
A  formula  of  prayer  accompanies  the  ceremony  in  each  case." 

Perfumed  water  is  also  used  by  Buddhist  women  in  the  ceremony 
of  "  bathing  the  idols." 

"  Siam  and  Laos  as  seen  by  our  Missionaries ,''  Presbyterian  Board 
of  Publication. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


177 


water  and  the  paper  douche.  The  latter  was  made 
by  rohing  a  large  slieet  of  paper,  twisting  the  end, 
filling  it  with  water,  and  dropping  it  from  the  house- 
top or  balcony  on  the  head  of  a  passer-by.  The 
weight  and  accumulated  momentum  gained  in  fall- 
ing inflicted  a  severe  blow  at  the  same  moment  that 
the  bursting  paper  gave  an  inopportune  bath.  The 
many  murders  committed  in  retaliation  caused  the 
interference  of  the  civil  power.  In  Rosario  the  law 
forbidding  the  douche  includes  the  whole  city;  but 
in  Montevideo  certain  streets  are  yet  legally  given 
up  to  it,  and  whoever  ventures  on  those  streets  must 
take  the  consequences. 

The  civil  power  in  Rosario  has  reached  forther, 
forbidding  the  use  of  beans.  To  insure  the  ob- 
servance of  this  new  edict,  the  sale  or  use  of  can- 
dies is  prohibited.  The  law  raised  an  outcry  among 
confectioners;  but  soldiers  stood  around  with  bay- 
onets fixed  and  swords  unsheathed.  Formerly,  im- 
mense quantities  of  beans  were  sugar-coated,  in 
readiness  for  these  street  sports,  and  people  pelted 
each  other  with  them.  They  were  showered  from 
house-tops  and  hurled  from  windows.  The  sensa- 
tion produced  by  such  pelting  may  be  imagined. 
The  loss  of  eyes  and  other  bodily  injuries  were 
the  not  infrequent  result. 


1^3  LA    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

The  municipality  has  also  decreed  that,  within 
the  bounds  of  its  control,  carnival  shall  on  no  day- 
begin  before  ten  a.m.  But  in  this  it  has  not  been 
so  successful.  The  poind  is  uncontrollable,  as  are 
also  the  india-rubber  water-bags. 

There  was  no  service  at  the  cathedral  during  the 
first  three  days  of  carnival.  Even  the  usual  daily 
mass  was  omitted.  All  the  first  day  (the  Sabbath), 
individuals,  pairs,  or  companies,  dressed  in  their 
peculiar  uniforms,  walked  the  streets  or  called  on 
their  lady  friends.  One  noticeable  uniform  was 
that  of  a  Spanish  knight  of  the  fourteenth  century. 
It  was  made  of  bright  green  lined  with  white,  and 
ornamented  with  white  and  tinsel  trimmings.  The 
street-car  company  had  the  opportunity  of  redeem- 
ing former  losses.  As  the  car  passed,  water  was 
dashed  in  at  the  doors  and  against  the  windows, 
and  those  who  occupied  it  plied  their  poinds  on 
each  other.  As  the  afternoon  wore  away,  the 
streets  became  more  thronged.  At  eight  p.m.  they 
were  crowded.  At  nine,  bands  of  music  started  from 
the  Government  House,  followed  by  two  large 
fancifully  decorated  wagons,  in  which  were  young 
ladies  dressed  in  allegorical  costume,  and  a  com- 
pany of  young  men  representing  the  Republic. 
Other   carriages   were   starting   from   other   points, 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


179 


and  gayly  decked  private  carriages,  with  ladies  in 
fancy  dress,  were  rumbling  through  the  various 
streets.  For  weeks  in  advance  young  ladies  are 
busy  making  mottoes  and  devices  not  unlike  book- 
marks, which  they  present  to  their  gentlemen  friends, 
who  wear  them  pinned  across  the  breast.  I  counted 
eight  on  a  knight  in  green.  Others  had  their 
jackets  well  covered  with  them,  while  some  wore 
only  one  or  two.  This  custom  is  probably  a  rem- 
nant of  the  days  of  chivalry,  a  shadow  of  the  ghost 
that  Cervantes  laughed  out  of  Spain. 

The  streets  which  intersect  the  city,  from  north 
to  south  and  from  east  to  west,  and  cross  each 
other  in  the  heart  of  the  business  section,  were 
brilliantly  illuminated  by  arches  of  gas  jets  span- 
ning them  at  short  intervals,  by  Chinese  lanterns 
and  groups  of  crystal  lights,  the  effect  of  which 
was  very  pretty.  Between  the  gas  arches,  cords 
crossed  the  streets  covered  with  all  manner  of  flags. 
Flags  also  floated  over  many  houses. 

On  these  streets  roofs,  balconies,  and  pavements 
were  densely  crowded.  At  ten  p.m.  the  procession 
passed  through  them.  The  police  cleared  the  way 
at  its  approach,  but  the  crowd  closed  around  the 
carriages,  pouring  the  contents  of  their  ponios  into 
the  faces  and  on  the  bare  shoulders  and   arms  of 


l80  LA    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

the  ladies,  who  tried  to  protect  their  eyes  with 
their  glass  fans  while  they  returned  the  poind 
drenching.  Soon  after  eleven  p.m.  flags  were  drawn 
in,  lights  extinguished,  and  comparative  quiet  pre- 
vailed.    Monday  was  a  repetition  of  the  Sabbath. 

Throughout  the  gayeties,  red  was  a  conspicuous 
color  in  the  dress  of  the  ladies.  Yellow  combined 
with  black,  and  yellow  without  much  combination, 
were  also  noticeable.  The  government  ladies  wore 
the  national  colors,  blue  and  white.  By  day  as 
well  as  at  night,  harlequins  of  every  description 
paraded  the  streets.  On  Tuesday  night  the  streets 
were  more  densely  crowded  than  on  either  of  the 
preceding  evenings.  Maskers  of  all  grades  and 
poind  pedlers  dodged  in  and  out  among  the  car- 
riages, the  latter  plying  a  lucrative  trade. 

On  Wednesday  ashes  took  the  place  of  water. 
Mass  was  said  in  the  cathedral,  but  whoever  ven- 
tured out  ran  the  risk  of  having  brocade  or  broad- 
cloth transformed  into  sackcloth.  A  sort  of  swab, 
or  trowel,  or  patch  of  cloth,  or  leather  dipped  in 
ashes,  or,  better,  in  flour  or  chalk,  from  which  the 
passer  received  a  blow,  took  the  place  of  the  poind. 
The  effect  of  such  white  patches  on  one's  garments 
is  extremely  ludicrous. 

Then  came  a  respite.     Thursday,  Friday,  and  Sat- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  l8l 

urday  business  could  go  on,  while  the  faithful  re- 
cruited their  energies  for  "  the  great  day  of  the 
feast."  On  Sabbath,  March  6,  from  early  morn- 
ing grotesque  faces  paraded  the  streets.  All  day 
the  street  cars  were  subjected  to  spasmodic  shower- 
baths.  All  day  the  pavements  were  wet  from  the 
poino  warfare.  Door- ways  were  crowded  with 
women  and  girls  engaged  in  it,  and  scuffles  with 
their  assailants  were  not  infrequent.  At  dusk  bells 
began  to  clang  and  drums  to  beat.  Before  nine 
o'clock  the  streets  were  thronged  with  vehicles  of 
every  description.  At  ten,  soldiers  cleared  the  way 
for  the  corzo.  First  came  a  funeral  car,  on  which 
lay  the  figure  of  a  human  body  with  a  sheet  thrown 
over  it.  The  face  was  bare, — a  ghastly,  grinning 
visage.  On  each  corner  of  the  car  sat  a  man  in 
black  mask,  with  glaring  eyes,  holding  a  taper  and 
wearing  a  very  high  hat  with  long  crape  streamer. 
Next  after  the  funeral  car  marched  the  "  Company 
of  the  Republic,"  carrying  rich  banners  garlanded 
with  flowers.  After  them  came  the  government 
wagons  with  ladies,  and  next  the  "Company  of  the 
Country,"  with  band,  banner,  and  wreaths  ;  more 
carriages;  the  "Company  of  the  Epoch;"  carriages; 
the  "  Company  of  the  City ;"  carriages  of  ladies  ;  a 

company   of  horsemen ;    clowns ;    fifteen    carriages ; 

i6 


1 82  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

six  Open  street  cars,  crowded  inside,  on  the  steps, 
and  on  the  roof;  six  carriages ;  another  company 
of  horsemen  ;  two  street  cars ;  buffoons ;  more  car- 
riages ;  charlatans ;  ponio  pedlers  ;  masqueraders. 

It  was  a  grotesque  minghng  of  the  solemnity  of 
mourning,  the  strains  of  merriment,  and  the  triumph 
of  justice.  The  "death"  part  of  the  procession  en- 
tered the  Market  Square,  where  was  a  platform, 
which  the  four  companies  mounted  with  their  bands 
of  music.  The  platform  was  enclosed  with  festoons 
of  gay  lanterns,  balloons,  and  the  like,  which,  as 
the  music  continued,  resolved  themselves  into  a 
series  of  fireworks.  Finally,  one  by  one  the  posts 
became  whirling  firewheels,  from  which  stars  and 
rockets  were  hurled.  While  this  was  going  on  the 
companies  continued  dancing  wildly.  As  the  last 
post  was  extinguishing  itself,  amid  the  continuous 
roar  of  fire-crackers,  bursting  torpedoes,  and  shoot- 
ing rockets,  the  dense  smoke  of  saltpetre  and  sul- 
phur, and  drippings  from  flaming  tar-kegs,  the 
dancers  leaped  to  the  ground,  formed  in  rank,  and 
conducted  the  corpse,  which  represented  Judas,  to 
the  other  end  of  the  Market  Place,  where  was  a 
scaffold,  to  which  it  was  raised.  But  the  tragedy 
was  not  yet  complete.  Judas  not  only  hanged  him- 
self, but  "burst  asunder  in  the  midst."     By  the  help 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


183 


of  a  torch,  his  representative  proceeded  not  only  to 
burst  asunder  in  every  part  of  the  body,  but  every 
fissure  emitted  flame.  Arms  shot  away  in  fire- 
crackers and  rockets.  Muscles  disappeared  in 
bright  streams  through  his  mail  leggings  and  boots. 
The  top  of  his  head  flew  off  with  a  loud  explosion. 
In  the  continuous  whirling  of  the  body  the  toes 
shot  themselves  away;  and,  finally,  when  nothing 
remained  but  the  boots,  they  became  a  revolving 
star  with  many-colored  rays,  which  went  out  one 
by  one.  As  the  last  ray  grew  dim  the  mourners 
and  executioners  again  formed  in  procession  and 
marched  off  to  their  several  headquarters,  where 
sumptuous  banquets  awaited  them,  and  where,  with 
their  masked  partners,  they  would  dance  till  morn- 
ing. In  like  manner  several  private  Judases  were 
burned  in  different  parts  of  the  city. 

"Burning  Judas"  is  not  confined  to  the  carnival 
ceremonies.  The  traitor  makes  himself  conspicuous 
on  many  occasions.  If  a  bonfire  of  Bibles  is  to  be 
made,  Judas  lights  the  pile. 

In  country  places  carnival  is  celebrated  by  the 
free  use  of  the  poind;  young  people  going  from 
house  to  house  to  play  it  upon  each  other.  To 
thus  signalize  a  friend  is  regarded  as  a  mark  of 
courtesy.     The  evenings  are  given  to  dancing. 


1 84  ^A   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

Throughout  the  La  Plata  a  fondness  for  py- 
rotechnic displays  is  manifested  and  large  sums 
are  expended  on  them.  It  matters  little  whether 
the  occasion  that  calls  out  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
people  be  religious,  social,  or  patriotic,  fireworks 
in  some  form  is  likely  to  be  a  part  of  the  pro- 
gramme. 

The  most  lavish  displays  are  in  celebration  of 
national  independence.  Two  Independence  Days 
are  thus  celebrated, — the  25th  of  May,  on  which 
independence  was  declared  in  Buenos  Ayres  in 
1 8 10,  and  the  9th  of  July,  the  anniversary  of  the 
united  declaration  of  independence  made  in  Tucu- 
man  in   18 16. 

A  singular  incident  was  related  to  me  by 
creditable  parties  of  the  substitution  of  fire- 
crackers for  the  marriage  ceremony,  which  illus- 
trates a  phase  of  society.  As  a  class  the  peons 
are  extremely  poor.  In  the  Province  of  Santa 
Fe  the  priest's  fee  for  performing  the  marriage 
ceremony  is  forty  dollars.  As  there  is  no  other 
legalized  mode,  and  as  not  one  peon  out  of  a 
thousand  could  accumulate  that  amount  in  a 
lifetime,  the  luxury  of  the  rite  matrimonial  is 
pretty  generally  dispensed  with  among  them. 
There   is    also   a    considerable    laxity   of   practice 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


185 


among    those    who   would    not    be    wiHing    to   be 

classed  as  peons.      Among  the  better  class  a  desire 

is    manifested    to    see    this    evil    remedied.      As    an 

expression    of  this    sentiment,    a    wealthy   cstanccro^ 

living  some  distance  from  Rosario,  gave  to  a  couple 

living    on    his    cstancia   the    requisite    forty  dollars, 

and    let   them  have    horses   to   go  to  town   for  the 

purpose  of  being  made    husband  and  wife.      They 

set  out,  much  elated  with  the  prospect.      Meeting 

an  acquaintance,  they  told  him  their  good  fortune, 

and    receiving    his    congratulations    invited    him    to 

return    with    them    to    the   nearest   pulpcria^  where 

they    purchased     a    bunch     of     fire-crackers    with 

which    to    celebrate    the    happy   event,    and    stood 

around    them    as    they  snapped.     In    this    way   the 

journey    was    gladdened    at    each    piilpcria    where 

they   rested   their   horses,  and   at  each    meeting  of 

old     friends,    until,    when    the    cathedral     loomed 

before    them,    half    of    the    money   had    vanished. 

They  stood  together  before   the  altar  to   be   made 

man  and  wife.      The  ceremony  was  begun  in   due 

form    and    the    priest    extended    his    hand    for   the 

money,    when    the    remaining    twenty   dollars   was 

put  into  it. 

"  This  is  not  enough,"  said  the  priest. 

"  It  is  all  we  have,"  was  the  answer. 

1 6* 


lg5  *LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

**  You  must  add  another  twenty  dollars,"  de- 
manded the  priest. 

**  But  we  have  no  more." 

The  altercation  grew  spirited. 

*'  I  will  not  marry  you  without  the  forty  dollars," 
asserted  the  priest. 

"  Very  well,"  responded  the  twain ;  "  we  have 
lived  together  fourteen  years  without  your  per- 
mission, and  we  can  get  along  without  it  still." 

So  they  remounted  their  horses,  and  spent  the 
remaining  twenty  dollars  for  fire-crackers  for  the 
return  ride. 

Another  incident  was  laughingly  related  of  the 
manner  in  which  one  of  the  most  influential  and 
respected  of  the  gente  decente  outwitted  the  priest 
and  won  his  bride,  that  illustrates  a  possibility 
connected  with  the  marriage  ceremony, — the  le- 
gality of  a  marriage  by  proxy. 

Before  a  legal  marriage  can  be  performed,  the 
expectant  bridegroom  must  receive  absolution 
from  a  priest.  To  obtain  absolution  presupposes 
confession.  In  the  instance  related,  the  candidate 
for  matrimonial  honors  was  a  young  man  of  "liberal 
ideas"  and  dauntless  spirit,  who  resolved  not  to 
submit  in  any  wise  ^o  the  superstition  that  ar- 
rogated to  any  human  being  the  right  of  spiritual 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  1 8/ 

interference,  at  the  same  time  he  was  determined 
to  have  his  bride  lawfully.  The  lady  lived  in 
Cordoba,  where  the  ceremony  was  to  be  performed, 
but  whither  at  that  time  it  was  impossible  for  the 
expectant  Benedict  to  repair  in  person ;  hence  a 
certificate  of  absolution  was  indispensable.  While 
his  brother  waited,  ready  mounted,  he  presented 
himself  before  a  priest,  stated  his  wish,  and  de- 
manded the  certificate. 

"  I  cannot  give  it  until  you  confess." 

"  You  must  give  it.  Do  me  the  favor  not  to 
make  further  delay." 

"You  must  confess." 

"This  is  my  only  confession,"  and  a  cocked- 
pistol  was  brought  suggestively  near  to  the  priest's 
forehead. 

The  certificate  was  given  without  further  delay. 
The  waiting  horseman  sped  away  with  it,  and  the 
next  day,  as  his  brother's  proxy,  plighted  his  troth 
to  the  lady,  with  all  due  formalities,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  her  friends,  and,  as  speedily  as  the  fleetest 
horses  rendered  it  possible,  brought  her  back  with 
him  to  her  happy  husband,  among  whose  friends 
also  the  event  was  appropriately  celebrated  and 
the  lady  received  with  magnificent  demonstrations 
of  welcome. 


J 88  ^A   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

More  exhilarating  than  any  fiesta,  pyrotechnic 
display,  or  gotten-up  exhibition  of  any  kind,  is  a 
gallop  over  the  prairies  with  companions  who  can, 
for  the  time  being,  abandon  themselves  to  freedom 
from  the  perplexities  of  existence  and  inhale  the 
elixir  of  life  with  the  breath  of  alfalfa  and  thistle 
blossoms.  On,  and  on,  and  on,  over  the  green 
sward,  sprinkled  with  scarlet  clusters  of  wild  ver- 
benas and  geraniums  and  a  hundred  other  flowers, 
with  no  bound  in  sight  but  the  blue  horizon,  and  no 
habitation  near  save  the  burrow  of  the  biscacho,* 
at  whose  door  the  little  gray  owl  stands  sentinel, 
and  near  by  dozes  the  proprietor  in  his  brownish- 
gray  fur  mantle,  and  chews  his  cud  till  warned  of 
approaching  danger.  Then  his  hind  feet  twinkle 
a  moment  in  the  air  as  he  disappears  into  his  under- 
ground citadel.     A  blue-gray  bird  crouching  in  the 


*  The  biscacho  is  a  ruminant  quadruped  about  a  foot  in  length, 
which  burrows  everywhere  throughout  the  Argentine  plains.  Some- 
times their  underground  galleries  are  several  acres  in  extent,  and 
make  horseback  riding  dangerous,  as  the  hoi^se's  feet  are  liable 
to  sink  in  the  holes.  With  a  free  rein  the  horse,  accustomed  to 
the  plains,  selects  safe  ground  for  himself.  The  biscacho  is  de- 
structive of  all  kinds  of  vegetation.  Its  skin  is  used  to  a  limited 
extent  for  rugs  and  foot-niufifs,  and  its  flesh  is  sometimes  eaten. 
It  is  unknown  in  the  plains  of  Uruguay. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


189 


grass  turns  his  peering  black  eyes  this  way  and  that, 
then  spreads  his  white-hned  wings  and  skims  low 
over  the  grass,  screaming,  " //Vvvv?,  ticrraf'  A 
scissor-bird  hastens  from  our  approach,  clipping  the 
air  with  its  two  long  caudal  feathers.  The  galera,\.\\e. 
primal  stage-coach,  rolls,  and  rumbles,  and  swings 
along  the  ruts  its  kindred  wheels  have  worn  in  the  soft 
loam,  its  eight  horses,  four  abreast,  and  the  "  cinch 
Jiorse"  at  the  wheel,  kept  at  the  gallop.  Anon,  a 
company  of  thatched  carrctas,  each  drawn  by  a 
dozen  bullocks,  and  leading  one  hitched  behind  it 
in  case  of  emergency,  on  their  way  from  the  custom- 
house. On,  past  chacras  of  maize,  artichoke,  beans, 
and  garlic ;  past  estancias^  each  with  its  own  appro- 
priate name,  whose  proprietors  are  affability  itself. 
Enter  any  one  of  these  homes,  hut  or  mansion,  and 
the  utmost  hospitality  is  extended.  No  host  more 
readily  recognizes  the  gentleman,  or  more  promptly 
accords  him  marked  courtesy. 

The  Argentine  saddle-horse  is  of  easy  gait,  fleet, 
well  trained,  and  capable  of  great  endurance.  After 
a  delightful  gallop  of  several  leagues  I  asked  the 
owner  for  how  much  he  would  sell  the  horse  I  rode. 
His  answer  was,  "  I  cannot  say  that  I  want  to  part 
with  it.  It  is  rather  a  favorite  with  me.  But  if  I 
should  sell  it,  I  could  not  take  less  than  thirty  dol- 


I  go  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

lars."  In  the  cities  the  cost  of  keeping  a  horse  is 
such  that  he  very  soon  '*  eats  his  head  off." 

There  are  several  British  and  a  few  North  Amer- 
ican estanceros  within  a  few  leagues  of  Rosario, 
whose  words  indicate  their  full  conviction  that  this 
is  the  heart  of  the  universe,  especially  for  money- 
making.  They  divide  their  attention  about  equally 
between  cattle  and  sheep.  As  there  are  few  running 
streams,  a  water  supply  for  their  flocks  and  herds 
must  be  obtained  by  sinking  wells,  which  some  of 
them  admit  is  a  trifling  drawback.  But  it  is  seldom 
necessary  to  dig  more  than  thirty  feet.  The  water 
is  drawn  in  large  wooden  buckets  with  trap  bottom, 
by  a  horse  attached  to  a  long  sweep  or  chain.  The 
windmill  might  relieve  him,  and  is  being  introduced 
to  a  limited  extent,  but  so  long  as  his  value  does 
not  exceed  sixteen  dollars,  the  equine  millennial 
dawn  is  likely  to  be  procrastinated. 

By  invitation  of  one  of  these  estanceros  I  wit- 
nessed the  exciting  sport,  or  business,  of  separating 
the  cattle.  A  drove  of  seven  or  eight  thousand  had 
been  corralled  the  night  before,  and  after  an  early 
breakfast  our  party  galloped  over  two  or  three 
leagues  of  prairie  to  the  scene.  Some  thirty  peons 
were  already  assembled.  The  herd  was  turned  out 
of   the    corral    and   around    it    on    the    open   camp. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA,  IC)£ 

Mounted  peons  took  their  stations  at  regular  dis- 
tances. A  few,  on  the  fleetest  horses,  stood  near. 
At  a  signal  from  the  manager  a  horseman  dashed 
into  the  herd  after  the  animal  designated.  Usually 
several,  panic-stricken,  made  a  dash  for  the  open 
plain,  the  rider  giving  chase  only  to  the  one  wanted. 
The  object  of  the  rider  was  always  to  direct  the 
course  of  the  animal  to  the  part  of  the  camp  as- 
signed to  the  fat  cattle.  If  he  took  that  direction 
all  was  well;  if  not,  an  exciting  chase  ensued.  Fre- 
quently the  bovine  exceeds  the  equine  in  fleetness 
for  a  considerable  time,  and  baffles  him  in  the 
rapidity  and  eccentricity  of  his  turnings.  Other 
riders  join  in  the  pursuit,  and  the  welkin  rings  with 
the  echoes  of  wild  life.  Those  stationed  in  the 
outer  circle  check  the  course  of  the  flying  brute  as 
he  approaches  them.  When  the  chase  fails  to  turn 
his  course  as  desired  the  lasso  is  thrown,  and  one 
or  two  horsemen  drag  him  away,  or  the  bolas  flies 
from  the  pursuer's  hand  and  the  race  comes  to  a 
sudden  end.  Although  these  two  methods  are  in 
constant  use  by  the  butchers,  they  are  seldom  em- 
ployed in  separating  the  fat  cattle  from  the  herds. 
Before  we  returned  for  luncheon  eight  hundred 
cattle  had  been  culled  from  the  herd  and  re-corralled 
ready  to  be  driven  to  an  alfalfa  (lucerne)  field,  pre- 


192 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


paratory  to  their  journey  to  the  Rosario  shambles, 
where  it  was  expected  that  fifteen  dollars  per  head 
would  be  realized  for  them.  The  alfalfa  pasture  is 
the  only  **  stall-feeding"  known  to  the  Argentine 
ox,  and  is  scarcely  more  relished  than  the  succulent 
thistle  that  comes  up  and  covers  the  ground  as  the 
spring  grass  dies. 

These  thistles  grow  from  three  to  five  feet  high. 
Their  dry  stalks  are  often  used  for  fuel,  as  are  also 
the  dead  stalks  of  other  weeds.  The  stalks  are 
gathered  in  bundles  in  their  season,  and  laid  up  for 
future  use.  This  is  the  only  supply  for  fuel  in 
sections  of  the  pampas  too  remote  from  the  city  for 
charcoal  pedlers,  and  where  peach  trees  or  other 
wood  is  not  grown  for  the  purpose.  Where  tim- 
ber is  grown  for  fuel,  the  peach  is  preferred  on 
account  of  its  rapid  growth.  In  three  years  after  a 
peach  plantation  has  been  set  the  cutting  may  be- 
gin. A  large  kettle,  resembling  the  "  soap  kettle" 
known  to  North  American  countrywomen,  is  often 
seen  near  to  the  home  on  the  pampas,  with  a  clicne 
{peoji  woman)  crouched  beside  it  feeding  the  fire 
with  weed  stalks. 

At  a  native  estaiicia  I  enjoyed  an  excellent  din- 
ner cooked  in  this  way.  Into  the  kettle  were  put 
a  lamb  that  I  saw  caught  from  the  niajada  with  a 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  103 

lasso,  several  fowls  caught  in  the  same  way  by  a 
boy  of  eight  years,  a  pumpkin  cut  into  small 
squares,  a  handful  of  quartered  potatoes,  a  head  of 
cabbage,  some  rice,  and  minor  ingredients.  The 
first  course  served  was  rice  soup.  Then  followed 
a  mutton  stew,  composed  of  the  dissevered  verte- 
brae, garnished  with  bits  of  boiled  pumpkin  and 
cabbage.  After  this,  boiled  leg  of  mutton  and  po- 
tatoes. Then  fowl  with  rice.  After  which  baker's 
bread  from  the  city,  thirty  miles  away,  and  cheese, 
made  on  the  cstancia  the  week  before,  followed 
by  sweetmeats,  which  closed  the  meal. 

The  laiigosta,  or  locust,  first  cousin  to  the  Kansas 
grasshopper,  is  the  occasional  scourge  of  the  campo. 
I  one  day  rode  for  nearly  an  hour  over  a  troop  of 
them,  marching  along  in  as  good  order  as  the  best 
disciplined  soldiery.  A  few  days  afterward  a  sim- 
ilar host  encamped  on  the  young  peach  orchard  of 
my  entertainer,  and  in  a  few  hours  stripped  it  of 
every  green  leaf.  The  insect  has  a  choice  of  food, 
however;  and  although  every  peach  leaf  may  fall  a 
prey,  and  every  grapevine  lose  its  foliage,  the  vege- 
tables beside  them  may  escape  untouched.  Neither 
do  they  overspread  the  whole  country,  but  travel 
over  comparatively  narrow  strips.     When  it  is  seen 

that  they  have  destroyed  the  pastures  in  one  locality, 
I       n  17 


ig4  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

it  is  simply  necessary  to  change  the  herds  to  an- 
other. The  superstition  that  they  are  sacred  in- 
sects, because  a  darker  shade  of  color  down  the 
centre  of  the  body  is  "  crossed"  by  a  similar  shade 
at  the  shoulder,  prevents  any  systematic  means  of 
extermination  or  of  limiting  their  ravages.  The  ant 
is  more  universal  in  its  depredations,  and  must  be 
guarded  against,  alike  in  city  and  country,  by  gar- 
dener, florist,  and  house-keeper.  Its  fondness  for 
shoe-leather  is  not  one  of  its  least  aggravating 
characteristics.  Among  insects,  the  almost  invis- 
ible bicho  colarado,  or  "jiggar,"  that  multiplies 
by  millions  on  the  grass,  and  the  vinchiico,  or 
''flying  bedbug,  an  inch  long,"  that  finds  its  favorite 
home  on  the  paradise  tree,  but  enters  houses  and 
hides  in  any  crevice  during  the  day,  then  makes  a 
nocturnal  raid  on  the  sleepers,  are  especially 
annoying. 

Zoiida,  tormcnta^  temporal^  and  pampero  are  the 
euphonic  and  emphatic  terms  denoting  the  state  of 
the  weather,  which  bears  the  burden  of  human  ills 
the  world  over.  The  zonda  is  the  hot  north  wind 
that  gives  everybody  the  headache.  Tormenta  is 
the  general  name  for  a  storm,  and  temporal  is  the 
summer  shower.  The  pampero  comes  from  the 
south  with  a  wide  sweep  of  the  compass,  on  either 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


195 


land  or  water.  On  land  it  is  the  La  Platean  cyclone, 
and  carries  great  clouds  of  dust  gathered  from  tlic 
pampas.  Occasionally  clouds  of  thistles  and  thistle- 
down make  the  panipero  particularly  disagreeable. 
Hutchison  describes  the  luckless  wight  caught  in 
such  a  temporal  as  having  "  the  appearance  of  hav- 
ing been  dragged  through  a  flour-sack  or  feather- 
bed and  ducked  in  a  horse-pond." 

Soon  after  my  arrival  in  Rosario  I  had  heard 
the  mutterings  of  distant  thunder  without  giving 
much  attention,  and  sallied  out  on  a  prearranged 
purpose.  Before  I  had  walked  two  blocks  the  air 
was  so  thick  with  dust  I  could  not  see  across 
the  street,  and  I  had  to  protect  my  Q.y<t^  from  the 
sharp  onslaught  of  sand.  A  dry  hide  from  a  har- 
racca  clattered  over  my  head,  grazing  my  hat.  I 
was  forced  to  take  refuge  in  the  first  open  door ; 
but  whether  it  was  opened  for  my  benefit,  or  the 
tardy  servant  was  about  to  close  it  against  the 
storm,  I  did  not  know.  The  wind  was  followed  by 
a  torrent  of  rain  that  speedily  converted  the  sand 
that  had  lodged  in  the  patio  into  mud  half  a  foot 
deep.  The  street  was  transformed  into  a  river.  The 
violence  of  the  storm  was  soon  exhausted ;  but  two 
hours  later,  in  order  to  get  home,  I  had  to  mount 
the  street  car  by  a  plank  placed  from  the  threshold 


Iq5  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

of  the  door  to  the  rear  platform  of  the  car.  After- 
wards, warned  by  muttering  thunders  or  darkening 
skies,  I  complacently  enjoyed  the  temporal,  torme^ita^ 
and  pampero  through  a  pane  of  window-glass. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


197 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

RAILROADS  AND   COLONIZATION. 

By  the  census  of  1882  the  population  of  Rosario 
was  thirty-two  thousand  two  hundred  and  four.  At 
the  time  of  the  reconstruction  of  the  Argentine  Re- 
pubhc  this  "entrepot  of  the  great  interior"  was  a 
village  of  only  three  thousand  inhabitants.  Indi- 
rectly, the  civil  war  in  the  United  States  contributed 
to  the  impulse  that  changed  the  village  into  the  city. 
Because  of  that  war  English  manufacturers  were 
obliged  to  seek  elsewhere  for  material  to  keep  their 
spindles  running.  A  rumor  reached  Manchester 
that  thousands  of  acres  of  good  cotton  were  grow- 
ing wild  along  the  Salado  River,  and  Earl  Russell 
directed  the  British  consul,  resident  at  Rosario,  to 
make  a  tour  through  the  section  indicated  and  ascer- 
tain the  truth  of  the  rumor;  and,  if  he  found  such 
to  be  the  case,  to  ascertain  how  the  crop  could  most 
cheaply  be  gotten  into  the  English  market.     Wild 

cotton  was   not  found  in  any  considerable  quantity, 

17* 


Iq8  la   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

nor  yet  cheap  labor  for  its  cultivation.  Although 
the  report  as  to  soil  and  climate  adapted  thereto  was 
most  favorable,  the  necessity  of  obtaining  the  needed 
supplies  by  a  more  speedy  method  than  awaiting  its 
cultivation  was  apparent.  In  the  mean  time,  Mr. 
William  Wheelwright,  a  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
since  called  "  The  Apostle  of  Progress  for  South 
America,"  had  succeeded  in  establishing  a  line  of 
steamships  on  the  west  coast,  and  was  eager  to 
begin  the  execution  of  another  great  thought  that 
had  taken  possession  of  him.  That  thought  was 
nothing  less  than  to  bind  the  Pacific  to  the  Atlantic 
by  an  iron  band  across  the  Andes  from  Valparaiso 
to  the  head  of  ocean  steam  navigation  on  the  Parana. 
The  war-impoverished,  but  recently  consolidated 
Argentine  Republic  was  eager  to  realize  its  "  true 
course  of  development,"  and  stood  ready  to  give 
favorable  terms  to  any  enterprise  tending  to  such  a 
result.  Mr.  Wheelwright's  railroad  scheme  prom- 
ised to  do  this.  At  the  same  time  it  would  greatly 
shorten  the  distance  from  England  to  India  and 
Australia,  where  supplies  of  cotton,  jute,  and  wool 
were  at  command.  The  charter  of  the  Argentine 
Central  Railroad  Company  was  the  result  of  these 
three  desires :  that  of  the  new  Republic  for  develop- 
ment, of   English   manufacturers   for  transportation 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  Iqq 

facilities,  and  of  the  man  of  practical  engineering 
for  the  realization  of  his  hobby. 

Under  the  impulse  given  by  Mr.  Wheelwright  the 
Chilian  end  of  the  road  was  at  once  begun  at  Val- 
paraiso, and  has  been  in  operation  for  several  years 
as  far  as  Los  Andes,  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
miles.  The  survey  has  been  completed  to  the 
Argentine  boundary. 

On  the  Argentine  side,  Rosario  was  chosen  as  the 
Parana  River  terminus.  As  the  first  step  toward  the 
realization  of  the  desired  object,  a  concession  for  the 
Central  Argentine  Railroad  from  Rosario  to  Cor- 
doba, a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  was 
granted  to  an  English  company,  whose  headquarters 
is  in  London.  The  survey  for  this  road  was  made 
by  Mr.  Allen  Campbell,  an  engineer  from  the  United 
States.  By  the  terms  of  the  original  charter,  the 
Argentine  Government  granted  to  this  company  a 
tract  of  land  half  a  league  wide  on  each  side  of  the 
track,  on  condition  that  the  road  should  be  in  oper- 
ation to  Cordoba  within  a  specified  time.  When  it 
became  evident  that  the  road  would  not  be  com- 
pleted by  the  time  specified  (if,  indeed,  it  would  be 
begun),  the  government  renewed  the  charter  and  in- 
creased the  grant  of  land  to  a  league  in  width  on  each 
side  of  the  track.     It  also  granted  a  freedom  from 


200  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

taxation  for  a  period  of  forty  years,  the  privilege  of 
introducing  all  railroad  material  and  supplies  free  of 
duty,  and  guaranteed  seven  per  cent,  interest  on  the 
investment;  in  consideration  of  these  privileges 
government  officials  and  troops  and  the  mails  to 
be  carried  free.  In  1863  the  time  was  again  ex- 
tended, and  all  privileges  previously  granted  were 
reaffirmed. 

On  the  20th  day  of  May,  1863,  General  Mitre, 
then  President  of  the  Republic,  turned  the  first  sod 
of  the  first  railroad  in  the  La  Plata  Valley  at  Ro- 
sario,  with  all  the  formalities  inseparable  in  the 
minds  of  his  constituents  from  the  proper  inau- 
guration of  a  great  national  enterprise.  The  work 
continued  seven  years,  and  in  May,  1870,  the  road 
was  opened  to  traffic  through  to  Cordoba.  Only 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  of  the  Central  Argen- 
tine Railroad — from  Rosario  to  Villa  Maria — con- 
stitutes a  part  of  the  transandine  route,  and  the 
Argentine  Government  proposed  to  borrow  money 
and  carry  on  the  work  itself  from  this  point.  The 
cost  of  construction  was  estimated  at  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars  per  mile  to  the  base  of  the  Andes, 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars  per  mile  thence  to  the 
Chilian  boundary. 

In    1873    the    national    government    finished   the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  201 

first  section  of  the  Transandine  Railway,  a  distance 
of  eighty-two  miles,  from  Villa  Mercedes  to  Rio 
Quarto.  15efore  the  further  prosecution  of  the  en- 
terprise could  be  carried  into  execution  there  came 
one  of  those  parenthetic  pauses  so  faniiliar  to  those 
attempting  progressive  movements  in  South  Amer- 
ican countries,  and  Mr.  Wheelwright  turned  his 
attention  to  the  opening  up  of  the  region  about  the 
city  of  Buenos  Ayres  with  railroads.  In  this  way 
his  last  years  were  employed,  and  he  died  without 
seeing  his  great  scheme  realized. 

In  1875  the  second  section,  from  Rio  Quarto  to 
Villa  Mercedes,  a  distance  of  seventy-six  miles,  was 
opened  to  traffic,  and  five  years  later  an  additional 
fifty-nine  miles  completed  the  road  to  the  city  of 
San  Luis.  In  1883  seventy-five  miles  more  were 
finished,  and  La  Paz  became  for  the  time  being  the 
terminus.  On  the  nth  of  April,  1885,  another  sec- 
tion of  eighty  miles  was  completed,  from  La  Paz  to 
the  city  of  Mendoza.  At  the  same  time  a  branch 
from  Mendoza  to  San  Juan — one  hundred  miles — was 
opened.  The  completion  of  the  road  to  the  most 
western  provincial  capital  on  the  route  was  cele- 
brated with  great  rejoicings,  in  which  President 
Roca  and  his  cabinet,  foreign  diplomatic  corps,  and 
a  large  number  of  other  invited  guests  participated. 


203  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

The  festivities  in  Mendoza  continued  nearly  two 
weeks.  The  entire  cost  to  the  government  of  the 
four  hundred  and  seventy-two  miles  now  in  opera- 
tion has  been  ^13,000,000;  a  sum  exceeding  the 
original  estimate  per  mile  by  ;^2330.50.  The  gauge 
is  five  and  a  half  feet.  From  Mendoza  to  the 
Chilian  boundary,  through  the  Uspallata  Pass,  is 
one  hundred  and  forty  miles.  The  expectation  is 
that  the  iron  steed,  controlled  by  the  national  gov- 
ernment, will  have  climbed  the  steep  mountain  pass 
before  the  middle  of  July,  1887,  at  nearly  double 
the  elevation  of  the  Central  Pacific  line  across  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

At  Cordoba,  a  narrow-gauge  road — The  Northern 
Central  Argentine — connects  with  the  Central,  and 
extends  northward  through  the  Argentine  high- 
lands to  Salta,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  and  forty 
miles,  and  is  being  continued  through  the  Province 
of  Jujui.  The  portion  to  the  capital  of  the  Prov- 
ince is  almost  completed.  This  road,  it  is  expected, 
will  be  opened  to  the  Bolivian  frontier  with  all  possi- 
ble despatch.  In  1883  a  bill  was  introduced  in  the 
Congress  of  Bolivia,  asking  for  the  charter  of  a 
railroad  from  La  Paz,  the  Bolivian  capital,  to  con- 
nect with  the  Northern  Central  Argentine  Railroad 
at  the  Bolivian  boundary. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


203 


The  Buenos  Ayres  and  Andine  Railway,  to  con- 
nect the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres  with  the  Transandine 
Railway  at  Villa  Mercedes,  is  in  operation  to  C!ia- 
cabuco,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles, 
and  it  is  being  pushed  forward  to  rapid  completion. 
In  March,  1884,  the  Great  Southern  Railway  was 
completed,  which  connects  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres 
with  the  port  of  Bahia  Blanca. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  1885,  there  were  nearly  three 
thousand  miles  of  railroad  in  operation  in  the  Re- 
public, and  work  was  being  carried  forward  on  ten 
lines  then  in  construction,  on  which  14,500  men 
were  employed.  Surveys  have  been  made  for 
several  other  lines,  and  concessions  granted  and 
proposed  for  still  others. 

Among  the  latter  is  the  one  from  Bahia  Blanca 
across  the  Andes  by  way  of  the  Bariloche  Pass  to 
the  Pacific  coast.  With  the  concession  for  this 
railroad  a  guaranty  of  seven  per  cent,  is  asked  from 
government.  The  discovery  of  this  pass  was  one 
of  the  incidental  results  of  the  negotiations  relating 
to  the  settlement  of  the  Chilian  boundary  question. 
There  was  an  old  tradition  that  before  the  arrival 
of  the  white  man  as  many  as  twenty  passes  of  the 
Andes  which  are  now  possessed  by  these  two  re- 
publics were  frequented  by  the  Indians.      But  only 


204  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

three  have  been  known  to  their  successors  that 
are  practically  accessible.  This  discovery  gives  a 
shadow  of  reliability  to  the  old  tradition.  At  this 
point  the  mountains  do  not  reach  nearly  so  high 
an  altitude  as  at  the  passes  heretofore  known. 
More  frequent  rains  take  the  place  of  snow,  the 
pass  may  be  easily  reached  from  the  route  leading 
westward  from  Bahia  Blanca  near  Lake  Nahuel 
Huapi,  and  the  continent  is  here  only  about  half 
as  wide  as  at  the  Central  Transandine  route.  A  rail- 
road of  a  little  more  than  seven  hundred  miles' 
length  would  unite  the  two  oceans  and  cut  short  the 
tedious  passage  of  Cape  Horn,  at  the  same  time 
that  it  would  open  up  a  rich  tract  of  country. 

The  beds  of  Argentine  railroads  are  prepared 
and  the  tracks  laid  in  English  style,  with  the  rails 
raised  above  the  ties  in  iron  clamps.  The  railroad 
irons  are  made  in  England.  The  passenger  cars 
are  generally  of  North  American  type,  and  a  por- 
tion of  them  are  made  in  the  United  States.  In 
1882  the  government  purchased  seven  railroad  loco- 
motives from  an  American  firm,  and  liked  them  so 
well  that  a  large  number  have  since  been  ordered. 
Formerly  Belgium  and  Great  Britain  had  supplied 
all  that  had  been  used. 

While  the  government  has  been  pushing  forward 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  20$ 

its    great    railroad   enterprises    it   has   not  been    un- 
mindful   of   the   natural    routes    of   traffic  furnished 
by    its    great    rivers.      Ten    years    ago    the   highest 
Argentine   authority   declared,   "  We   have  no  mer- 
chant   navy,   unless    that    name   be   given   to   a   few 
hundred  barges,  lighters,  and  schooners  which,  with 
Italian    and    Russian    crews,  ply  on  our  rivers  and 
carry  the  Argentine  flag   just  as  they  might  carry 
the    Turkish."     It    is    still    true    that    the    carrying 
trade    on    its    rivers    depends    on    foreign   bottoms, 
but  it  has  increased  so  rapidly  that  the  expression 
"a  few  hundred"  is  no  longer  applicable.     In   i88i 
the  total  freights    carried  on  the  Uruguay,  Parana, 
and  Paraguay  Rivers  amounted  to  3,628,804  tons  ;* 
and  in    1882  no  less  than  6002  steamers  and  15,725 
sailing  vessels    in   the  coasting  and  river  trade  en- 
tered the  port  of  Buenos  Ayres  alone,  with  an  aggre- 
gate tonnage  of  1,829,933  tons.    That  port  then  had 
24    per    cent,    of    the    river  commerce,  Rosario   17 
per  cent.,  and  San   Nicholas   13  per  cent.     In  1883, 
Buenos  Ayres  had  28  per  cent.     In  the  quadrennium 
from    1880  to   1S83,  inclusive,  the  steam   navigation 
of  the  rivers  increased   and  the   sailing  vessels  de- 

*  This  was  1,652,711  tons  more  than  the    entire    foreign    com- 
merce of   that  year. 

18 


206 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


creased  12  per  cent.  In  the  latter  year  74  per 
cent,  of  all  the  navigation  on  the  rivers  was  by- 
steam.  Of  the  various  crafts  engaged  in  the  river 
trade,  57  per  cent,  carried  the  Argentine,  3  per 
cent,  the  Uruguayan,  and  2  per  cent,  the  Paraguayan 
flag,  while  24  per  cent,  sailed  under  the  British  and 
9  per  cent,  under  the  French  colors.* 

As  soon  as  the  first  train   had  passed  over  the 
Central  Argentine   Railroad,  from   Rosario  to  Cor- 

■*  The  disposition  of  the  nation  towards  internal  improvements 
may  be  seen  from  the  following  items  of  the  special  loan  author- 
ized by  the  Congress  of  1883: 

Transandine  Railway    ......     ;^3, 600,000 

Railway  from  Tucuman  to  Jujui  .         .         .       6,300,000 

Repairs  on  Tucuman  Railway      ....       2,000,000 

Railway  from  Santiago  to  Frias  ....       1,500,000 

Railway  from  Recreo  to  Chumbicha    .         .         .       2,100,000 
Purchase    of    Northwestern    Railway    station    at 
Buenos  Ayres    ...... 

Building  a  port  at  Rosario  . 

Wharf  at  San  Nicholas         .... 

Wharf  at  Corrientes      ..... 

Wharf  at  Concepcion    ..... 

Completion  of  the  Rio  Chuela  port 
Dredging  La  Plata  at  Martin  Garcia  . 
Bridges  ....... 

Erection  of  light-houses  on  Atlantic  coast    . 
Erection  of  telegraph  lines   .         .         .         , 


Sinking  artesian  wells  . 


220,000 
2,000,000 
120,000 
150,000 
150,000 
1,200,000 
1,150,000 
250,000 
1,300,000 
430,000 
700,000 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


207 


doba,  in  May,  1870,  the  capitalists  who  had  con- 
tributed to  that  enterprise  were  legally  possessed 
of  a  strip  of  territory  six  miles  wide  and  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  long  through  the  heart  of  one 
of  the  best  agricultural  districts  on  the  globe.  In 
1863  these  lands  were  valued  at  $750  per  square 
league  [G'jGZ  acres).  To  create  a  demand  for  them 
by  establishing  settlements  as  nuclei  that  would 
induce  voluntary  immigration,  the  stockholders  of 
the  railroad  company  set  themselves  about  estab- 
lishing such  nuclei.  One  firm,  with  its  headquarters 
in  Old  Broad  Street,  London,  and  a  resident  agent 
and  member  in  Rosario,  undertook  to  colonize 
900,000  acres  with  9000  families.  They  estimated 
the  cost  of  constructing  a  temporary  house  of  two 
rooms  fifteen  feet  square  at  1^125,  and  of  a  perma- 
nent house  of  adobes  of  the  same  size  at  from 
;^I250  to  ^1500.  (Present  estimates  vary  little  from 
this.  A  city  architect,  in  contracting  to  build  a  good 
dwelling-house,  estimates  the  cost  at  from  ^600  to 
;$iooo  for  each  room.) 

In  the  same  or  a  similar  manner  various  emic;"ra- 
tion  companies  and  agencies  were  established  in 
England.  The  first  colonies  were  created  by  selling 
to  each  colonist  on  credit  eighty  acres  of  land,  with 
a  mud  house  on  it,  a  plough,  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and 


2o8  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

food  for  one  year,  and  advancing  his  passage 
money. 

In  1869,  Mr.  Wheelwright's  son-in-law  broke  up 
several  squares  of  land  at  Cafiada  de  Gomez,  eighteen 
miles  from  Rosario,  and  tried  the  experiment  of 
sowing  wheat.  Within  ten  months  he  reaped  a 
crop  that  almost  paid  the  entire  outlay,  including 
the  cost  of  the  land.  This  fact,  well  advertised, 
added  new  momentum  to  the  immigration  impulse, 
and  three  colonies  were  established  the  next  yean 
Many  of  the  colonists  repaid  the  entire  advance 
made  to  them  and  paid  for  their  eighty  acres  of  land 
within  two  years,  and  few  of  them  had  any  indebt- 
edness remaining  therefor  after  the  third  crop  had 
been  sold.  Before  the  railroad  was  finished  to  Cor- 
doba the  railroad  lands  had  increased  in  value  from 
;^750  to  ii^isoo  per  square  league,  and  since  that 
time  all  lands  in  their  vicinity  have  steadily  ad- 
vanced in  price. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Provincial  Government  of 
Santa  Fe  was  equally  anxious  to  induce  immigra- 
tion and  agricultural  colonization,  and  having  no 
funds  available,  applied  to  the  Federal  Government 
for  a  guarantee  of  a  million  dollars  for  this  purpose. 
But  the  Federal  Government  was  in  the  same  con- 
dition as  the  Provincial,  and  the  subject  had  to  be 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


209 


left,  for  the  time  being,  to  private  companies  who 
would  undertake  the  colonization  of  certain  dis- 
tricts as  a  speculation,  regarding  the  lands  them- 
selves as  security  for  the  funds  invested. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  reconstructed  govern- 
ment had  been  to  invite  immigration,  and  for  several 
years  emigration  agents  had  been  supported  by  it, 
to  travel  through  Europe  and  try  to  turn  the  tide 
of  emigration  towards  the  La  Plata.  But  the  result 
had  not  been  satisfactory.  Ninety  per  cent,  of  all 
immigrants  remained  in  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres, 
until,  by  the  high  prices  there  paid  for  labor,  they 
had  secured  a  satisf\'ing  portion,  and  then  returned 
to  their  own  land.  Nor  did  the  remaining  ten  per 
cent,  devote  themselves  to  agriculture.  To  coun- 
teract this  evil,  an  immigration  bureau  was  estab- 
lished in  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres,  and  an  immi- 
grants' hotel  opened,  at  which  all  arrivals  were 
supplied  with  free  board  and  lodging  for  ten  days, — 
should  they  see  fit  to  remain  so  long, — and  then 
forwarded  to  their  chosen  destination  by  govern- 
ment conveyance,  free  of  cost.  While  they  re- 
mained in  the  city  it  was  the  duty  of  the  agent  of 
the  bureau  to  answer  without  charge  all  inquiries 
relating  to  public  lands,  and  to  place  before  them 

every  facility  for  gaining  information  on  all  points 
o  18* 


210  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

relating  thereto,  thus  enabling  them  to  make  an 
intelligent  and  voluntary  choice  of  location.  But 
still  the  results  were  not  all  that  had  been  hoped. 
Time  and  sacrifice  were  needed  to  counteract  the 
unfavorable  impression  that  had  gone  abroad  with 
regard  to  the  lawlessness  of    the  country. 

In  1870  the  Province  of  Santa  Fe  put  one  thou- 
sand square  leagues  of  land  for  sale  at  the  rate  of 
eighty  acres  for  $1^0,  to  be  paid  within  five  years. 
A  company  was  also  chartered  for  the  Gran  Chaco 
Railroad  to  connect  the  bank  of  the  Parana  River 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Paraguay,  opposite  to  the  city 
of  Corrientes,  with  the  city  of  Santiago,  and  thence 
with  Copiapo,  Chili,  by  way  of  the  Tingonasta  Pass. 
This  company  also  proposed  to  offer  its  lands  to 
immigration.  The  road  has  not  been  built,  but 
the  provincial  lands  accessible  from  the  rivers  are 
being  dotted  with  farmsteads. 

In  1875,  President  Sarmiento  visited*  the  colonies 
of  Santa  Fe  and  Corrientes,  and  described  their 
prosperity   in   such    glowing    terms   that,   in    1876, 


*  During  this  visit  of  President  Sarmiento  to  the  English  colony, 
established  at  the  point  in  Santa  F6  that  had  long  been  known  as 
Frele  Muerte,  he  changed  the  name  to  Bellville,  in  honor  of  the 
first  colonist,  saying,  "  That  is  the  custom  in  the  United  States." 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  211 

Congress  passed  the  "  Homestead  Law,"  which 
had  been  under  discussion  in  that  body  for  several 
years. 

By  this  law  the  government  offered  to  each  of 
the  first  one  hundred  famihes  who  settle  on  any  of 
the  public  lands  surveyed  for  colonization  a  gift  of 
one  hundred  hectacres  of  land  (nearly  equal  to  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres),  and  to  sell  public  land  to 
subsequent  settlers  at  $2  gold  per  hcctacre,  payable, 
without  interest,  in  ten  annual  payments,  the  first 
payment  to  be  made  three  years  after  the  purchase 
of  the  land.  It  further  authorizes  the  advance  of 
money  to  build  a  house  and  purchase  family  sup- 
plies for  one  year;  working  and  breeding  cattle,  with 
feed  for  them  for  a  year;  farming  implements  and 
seed,  "  and,  in  general,  of  all  that  a  family  would 
require  for  a  year  under  such  circumstances;"  the 
whole  loan  not  to  exceed  ^looo  gold,  and  pay- 
able, without  interest,  in  five  annual  instalments, 
commencing  after  the  end  of  the  first  year.  Colo- 
nists are  exempt  from  military  duty  and  are  free 
from  all  taxes  for  ten  years.  Foreigners  not  col- 
onists pay  a  tax  of  ^4  on  every  $1000  capital  in- 
vested. After  the  colony  is  six  years  old  the  gov- 
ernment pays  a  premium  of  i^io  per  thousand  for 
trees  at  least  two  years  old,  that  have  been  planted 


212  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

by  the  colonists.  To  encourage  naturalization  the 
Congress  of  1885  so  amended  the  "  Homestead 
Law"  as  to  give  fifteen  hundred  acres  to  every 
bona  fide  naturalized  settler  on  the  public  lands, 
provided  he  plant  two  hundred  trees  and  bring 
twenty-four  acres  under  cultivation  within  five  years. 

In  1882,  twelve  years  after  the  completion  of  the 
Central  Argentine  Railroad,  there  were  sixty-eight 
agricultural  colonies  in  Santa  Fe,  with  an  aggregate 
population  of  55,143,  and  about  900,000  acres  in 
cultivation;  and,  instead  of  importing  flour  for  a 
handful  of  foreigners  engaged  in  speculation,  it  ex- 
ported a  million  bushels  of  wheat  from  the  harvest 
of  that  year.  With  the  introduction  into  the  La 
Plata  valley  of  wheat-growing  agriculturists,  sulky 
reapers,  improved  threshers,  grain  elevators,  and 
European  exportation  are  inseparably  linked. 

No  agricultural  implements  are  yet  manufactured 
in  the  Republic.  American,  British,  Belgian,  and 
German  manufacturers  supply  them  in  great  variety. 
The  most  popular  self-binding  reapers  are  the 
"Wood,"  "Rehance,"  "  Deering,"  and  "  McCor- 
mick,"  from  the  United  States,  and  the  **  Hornsby," 
from  England.  Horse-power  for  threshing-ma- 
chines is  generally  preferred  on  account  of  the 
scarcity  of  fuel,  the  coal  for  engines  being  brought 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


213 


from  England.  Notwithstanding'  this  scarcity  of 
fuel,  engines  are  being  introduced  for  all  kinds  of 
work,  and  are  meeting  with  fav^or,  and  steam-thresh- 
ers are  by  no  means  unknown. 

The  first  grain  elevator  in  the  La  Plata  basin  was 
built  at  Rosario,  on  the  bank  of  the  Parana,  one  mile 
above  the  station  of  the  Central  Argentine  Rail- 
road, and  opened  for  the  reception  of  the  wheat 
crop  of  1882,  by  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  who 
had  already  found  Santa  Fe  investments  lucrative. 
It  was  opened  by  a  banquet  at  which  President 
Roca  presided,  and  the  speeches  of  the  day,  as  well 
as  voluminous  editorial  comments  in  the  several 
newspapers,  characterized  it  as  the  beginning  of 
another  enterprise  that  signalizes  the  rapid  advance 
and  future  greatness  of  the  Argentine  nation.  Hun- 
dreds of  flags  adorned  the  building  and  fluttered 
from  cords  reaching  far  out  in  all  directions,  and 
from  the  ships  lying  in  the  river.  The  grain  drops 
from  the  shoots  of  the  elevator  into  the  hold  of  the 
vessel  that  conveys  it  to  Europe  at  a  cost  of  about 
one  dollar  per  ton. 

The  erection  of  the  grain  elevator  in  Rosario  was 
preceded  by  the  introduction  of  a  first-class  steam 
flouring  mill  at  Carcanal,  thirty  miles  from  Rosario 
on  the  Central  Argentine  Railroad.     Its  superiority 


214 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


over  native  mills  was  soon  proved  by  the  demand 
for  its  flour.  But  this  superiority  of  the  flour  over 
that  made  in  native  mills  is  perhaps  as  much  to 
be  attributed  to  the  North  American  mode  of  thresh- 
ing as  of  grinding  the  wheat.  The  native  mode 
of  threshing,  which  has  been  practised  throughout 
Spanish  and  Portuguese  America  for  the  past  three 
hundred  years,  wherever  there  has  been  grain  to 
thresh,  is  closely  allied  to  that  practised  by  the 
patriarchs  in  the  infancy  of  the  Hebrew  nation. 
The  licra  is  such  a  circular  enclosure  of  hard-beaten 
earth  as  that  from  which  Boaz  probably  measured 
barley  into  the  mantle  of  the  beautiful  Moabitess. 
A  thick  layer  of  unthreshed  grain  is  spread  in  this 
enclosure,  and  from  fifteen  to  twenty  horses  or  oxen 
turned  in  and  driven  rapidly  around  by  the  lash 
of  a  man  on  horseback.  The  grittiness  of  cakes 
made  from  grain  thus  threshed  is  a  modern  ob- 
jection to  the  ancient  method. 

Santa  Fe  takes  the  lead  of  all  the  other  Provinces 
in  the  development  of  its  agricultural  resources. 
Its  soil  is  a  rich  vegetable  loam,  averaging  from 
three  to  five  feet  in  depth,  over  a  substratum  of 
fertile  clay,  in  some  places  nearly  a  hundred  feet 
deep.  Wheat-growers  Vv^th  whom  I  conversed  re- 
garded thirteen  bushels  per  acre  as  a  poor  yield. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


215 


thirty  bushels  as  a  good,  and  twenty-five  bushels 
per  acre  as  an  average  yield.  Official  returns  give 
sixteen  bushels  as  the  average  yield  per  acre  for 
the  Santa  Fe  colonies.  With  the  present  popu- 
lation of  the  earth,  and  means  of  intercommuni- 
cation, Argentine  wheat  may  keep  that  of  our 
prairies  at  prices  within  the  reach  of  European 
laborers  for  some  years  to  come. 

It  has  been  abundantly  demonstrated  that  in  soil 
and  climate  the  entire  "  Granary  of  the  Republic," 
and  the  Province  of  Santa  Fe  pre-eminently,  is 
equally  adapted  to  other  branches  of  agriculture. 
It  is  claimed  that  Indian  corn  gives  an  average  yield 
of  one  hundred  bushels  to  the  acre,  for  the  planting 
of  which  a  little  more  than  half  a  peck  of  seed  is 
allowed.  The  area  planted  in  1883  was  nearly 
150,000  acres. 

Santa  Fe  also  takes  the  lead  in  peanut  culture. 
There  is  a  good  home  and  foreign  demand  for  this 
nut  for  the  manufacture  of  olive  oil.  It  forms  the 
chief  part  of  the  cargo  of  some  lines  of  ships  sail- 
ing from  the  La  Plata  to  Mediterranean  ports. 
P'lour  is  also  made  from  the  peanut,  which,  mixed 
in  equal  proportion  with  wheat  flour,  makes  a  pal- 
atable and  nutritious  bread. 

The  first  experiment  in  flax  culture  was  ma.(J(^een 


2i6  -^^    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

an  Englishman  in  the  Bellville  colony  of  Santa  Fe 
in  1875,  and  40,000  tons  of  flax  were  exported  in 
1882.  The  quality  was  said  to  be  equal  to  that  of 
Irish  flax. 

Agriculture  necessitates  fencing.  To  meet  this 
necessity,  fencing  wire  is  imported  in  large  quanti- 
ties. The  import  into  the  Argentine  Republic  of  this 
one  article  in  1882  amounted  to  $1,142,246.  Of  that 
amount  ;S5545  worth  went  from  the  United  States. 
Previous  to  that  year  not  a  pound  had  been  pur- 
chased from  American  manufacturers.  Posts  for 
fencing  purposes  are  obtained  from  the  algarroba, 
a  tree  allied  to  the  honey  locust,  which  is  abundant 
in  the  mo7ite  formation^  or  clumps  of  stunted  trees 
that  occasionally  dot  the  prairies  and  that  line  the 
rivers.  Its  wood  is  almost  imperishable  under 
water.     It  is,  therefore,  invaluable  to  the  colonists. 

Gratified  by  the  result  of  the  operations  of  the 
Homestead  Law,  the  National  Congress  went  a  step 
further,  and  passed  a  bill  providing  that  under  cer- 
tain circumstances  a  free  passage  might  be  given 
from  Europe  to  the  port  of  Buenos  Ayres.  In  1883, 
135  persons  received  the  benefit  of  this  law.  In 
that  year  63,242  immigrants  arrived,  of  whom 
eighty-one  per  cent,  were  Italians,  and  four  per 
^cirtit.^ each  of  Spaniards,  French,  Germans,  and  Swiss. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  217 

Sixty-four  per  cent,  were  agriculturists;  of  these, 
8156  went  to  the  farming  lands  of  Buenos  Ay  res 
and  6271  to  those  of  Santa  Fe.  In  the  first  six 
months  of  1884  the  arrivals  had  amounted  to  34,798, 
when  the  port  was  closed  against  immigration  from 
the  cholera-infected  parts  of  Europe. 

There  are  many  points  of  resemblance  between 
the  Province  of  Santa  Fe  and  the  State  of  Illinois 
in  soil  and  general  configuration,  but  it  lies  eight 
degrees  nearer  to  the  equator.  The  mean  tempera- 
ture at  Rosario  in  1880  was  63°  Fahrenheit,  the 
greatest  extreme  of  cold  27°  Fahrenheit,  and  the 
greatest  extreme  of  heat  101.7°  Fahrenheit.  The 
heat  increases  in  going  northward  at  about  the  rate 
of  one-half  degree  of  the  thermometer  for  each 
degree  of  latitude.  The  southern  part  of  the  Prov- 
ince is  wholly  prairie.  A  few  leagues  north  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Carcafial  River  the  heavy  timber  growth 
that  characterizes  the  plains  of  subtropical  South 
America  makes  its  appearance  along  the  Parana 
River,  and  spreads  to  the  west  as  it  continues  still 
northward.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  Province 
woodland  alternates  with  prairie. 

The  provincial  capital,  the  city  of  Santa  Fe,  is  in 

the  northern  part  of  the  Province  at  the  head   of 

ocean    bark     navigation    on    the    Parana,    between 
K  19 


2i8  J^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

latitude  29°  and  30°.  It  is  the  terminus  of  the 
Buenos  Ayres  and  Santa  Fe  line  of  daily  mail 
packets.  Its  daily  steamers  up  and  down  stream 
pass  each  other  at  Rosario.  The  journey  from 
Rosario  to  Santa  Fe  is  pleasantly  diversified  with 
calm  river  scenery  and  gorgeous  sunsets.  At  the 
mouth  of  the  Carcafial,  ten  miles  above  Rosario,  the 
first  Spanish  settlement  in  the  La  Plata  was  founded 
by  Sebastian  Cabot,  and  named  Espiritu  Santo. 
The  remains  of  the  earthworks  of  the  old  fort  could 
still  be  traced  in  1882,  when  an  English  company 
acquired  possession  of  the  historic  site  for  the  pur- 
pose of  erecting  a  meat-canning  factory,  and  thus 
inaugurate  another  new  industry. 

From  time  out  of  mind  charcoal  has  been  the 
chief  export  of  the  capital.  Its  location  on  the 
border  of  the  vast  inland  forest  gives  to  its  laborers 
a  peculiarly  favorable  opportunity  of  meriting  the 
compliment  bestowed  by  the  Greek  poet  on  those 
who  supplied  fuel  prepared  in  the  same  way  to  the 
matrons  of  Athens, — that  they  brought  the  wood 
into  the  city,  but  left  the  abominable  smoke  in  the 
country.  This  fuel  without  the  smoke  is  hawked 
about  the  cities  of  the  La  Plata  in  sacks  carried  on 
the  back  of  horses  or  mules,  just  as  it  was  in 
Greece,  and   is   the  supply  for  the  fiigoii.     In  Ro- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


219 


sario,  Buenos  Ayres,  and    Montevideo    it  sells   for 
about  forty  cents  per  bushel. 

As  its  name  indicates,  the.  capital  of  Santa  Fe  is 
an  old,  sacred  city.  It  is  impossible  to  ignore  the 
impression  of  its  antiquity.  Its  many  large  shade- 
trees  impart  a  sense  of  seclusion  and  repose  un- 
known in  newer  and  busier  towns.  Around  the 
plaza,  in  true  old  colonial  style,  are  grouped  the 
cathedral,  jail.  Government  House,  and  Executive 
Mansion.  In  1831  this  city  was  the  meeting-place 
of  the  representatives  of  the  Provinces  of  Buenos 
Ayres,  Santa  Fe,  Entre  Rios,  and  Corrientes,  that 
adopted  the  Republican  Code  and  for  a  while  with- 
stood the  usurping  arm  of  Rosas.  After  his  ex- 
pulsion it  again  had  the  honor  of  entertaining  the 
Congress  that  re-enacted  substantially  the  same 
declaration  of  Republicanism. 


220  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

THE   ARGENTINE    MESOPOTAMIA. 

The  portion  of  the  Argentine  Republic  lying  be- 
tween the  Uruguay  and  Parana  Rivers,  and  com- 
prising the  Provinces  of  Entre  Rios  and  Corrientes, 
and  the  Territory  of  Misiones,  is  known  familiarly 
as  the  Mesopotamia.  As  a  whole,  it  is  extremely 
fertile  and  watered  by  numerous  running  streams. 
Except  in  parts  subject  to  overflow, — and  such  sec- 
tions are  small  in  proportion  to  the  whole,— the 
climate  is  salubrious.  There  is  rarely  any  frost. 
Forests  of  excellent  timber  alternate  with  prairie, 
and  the  many  navigable  streams  offer  a  natural  out- 
let for  marketable  produce.    ■ 

No  Province  of  the  Republic  is  better  adapted  to 
agriculture  than  Entre  Rios.  The  surface  is  undu- 
lating, and  the  quality  of  the  soil  could  not  be  sur- 
passed. For  half  a  century  after  the  cessation  of 
Spanish  rule  its  position  made  it  the  refuge  of  revo- 
lutionary bands  from  the  adjoining   Provinces  and 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  221 

Uruguay.  The  Gauclio  element  constitutes  the 
larger  part  of  its  popuhition.  This  statement  is  of 
itself  a  sufficient  declaration  of  the  discouragement 
to  all  kinds  of  husbandry.  The  Provincial  Govern- 
ment has  never  encouraged  immigration,  neither  has 
there  been  in  the  Province  any  great  railroad 
scheme  to  induce  the  investment  of  foreign  capital 
or  prompt  the  presentation  of  offers  to  attract  immi- 
gration. Notwithstanding  all  this  the  Province  has 
attracted  to  itself  a  spontaneous  immigration  of 
agriculturists,  and  ranks  next  after  Santa  Fe  in  the 
number  of  its  colonies,  having  tv/enty-five,  with 
132,930  acres  in  cultivation.  In  1883,  when  the 
entire  population  of  the  Province  was  estimated  at 
188,000,  the  colonists  numbered  9905,  and  the  next 
year  the  number  was  increased  by  3134.  The  Entre 
Rios  colonists  divide  their  attention  about  equally 
between  agriculture — which  with  them  means  pre- 
eminently wheat  growing — and  grazing.  Except  in 
these  colonies  grazing  is  the  sole  industry,  and  man- 
dioca  for  local  consumption  the  most  important 
crop.  There  are  as  yet  but  a  few  miles  of  railroad 
in  the  Province,  and  inland  traffic  is  principally  car- 
ried on  by  means  of  bullock-carts,  supplemented 
by  the  eighteen  stage-coach  lines,  which  carry  the 

mails  on  a  subsidy  from  the  National  Government. 

19* 


222  LA    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

Villa  Concepcion,  on  the  Uruguay  River,  is  the 
provincial  capital.  Until  the  federalization  of  the 
old  and  the  choosing  of  the  new  capital  for  Buenos 
Ayres  this  was  the  only  exception  to  the  rule  that 
provincial  capitals  in  the  Argentine  Republic  bear 
the  same  name  as  the  Provinces.  Save  Santa  Fe, 
it  was  also  the  only  exception  to  the  rule  that  the 
capital  is  the  most  important  city  and  the  commer- 
cial emporium  of  the  Province.  This  honor  is  about 
equally  divided  between  the  two  cities, — Gualaguay- 
chu,  on  the  Uruguay,  and  Parana,  on  the  Parana 
River.  In  1883  the  foreign  commerce  of  the  former 
amounted  to  ;$565,o63,  of  which  the  excess  of 
imports  over  exports  was  $y2'/i.  In  the  same 
year  the  foreign  commerce  of  the  city  of  Parana 
amounted  to  ;^45 1,804;  but  while  its  exports  were 
valued  only  at  ;^74,289,  its  imports  were  ^377,515. 
By  this  it  would  appear  that  while  Gualaguaychu,  as 
the  depot  for  hides  and  other  products  of  the  estaii- 
cias,  ranks  first  in  the  matter  of  exports,  Parana 
bears  off  the  palm  as  an  importer  of  foreign  goods. 
This  is  in  part  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the 
agricultural  colonies  are  mostly  situated  along  the 
course  of  the  Parana  River,  and  require  the  impor- 
tation of  building  and  fencing  material,  agricultural 
implements  and  the  like,  while  as  yet  the  returns  are 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  223 

not  commensurate  with  the  outlay  for  improve- 
ments, and  their  exports  arc  largely  prospective,  and 
partly  by  remembering  that  there  is  a  larger  pro- 
portion of  refined  citizens  in  Parana  and  its  vicinity 
than  in  the  lower  part  of  the  Province,  by  whom 
foreign  elegancies  and  luxuries  are  in  demand.  The 
city  of  Parana  is  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Parana 
River,  fifteen  miles  below  the  city  of  Santa  Fe,  fol- 
lowing the  windings  of  the  river,  but  only  half  that 
distance  in  a  straight  line.  It  was  founded  by  refu- 
gees driven  from  Santa  Fe  by  raids  of  the  Chaco 
Indians.  The  river  between  the  two  cities  is  a 
maze  of  small  islands,  a  miniature  archipelago. 
Small  sail-boats  are  towed  by  horses  through  some 
pf  the  channels  between  these  islands,  while  the 
main  channel  admits  the  passage  of  ocean  barks. 

Parana  was  the  capital  of  the  Argentine  Confed- 
eration from  March  24,  1854,  till  May  25,  1862, 
when  the  Province  of  Buenos  Ayres  was  added  to 
the  league  and  its  capital  tendered  for  the  provis- 
ional Federal  capital.  Like  Rosario,  Parana  nar- 
rowly escaped  the  honor  of  becoming  the  permanent 
Federal  capital.  Its  port  is  at  the  mouth  of  a  small 
stream  emptying  into  the  Parana  River.  A  village 
of  a  single  street  is  clustered  on  a  narrow  strip  of 
level    ground    but    little   above    high-water    mark. 


224 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


Behind  this  is  a  high  ridge  covered  with  a  tangled 
growth  of  trees  and  vines,  through  which  are  caught 
ghmpses  of  rocks  and  the  debris  of  kilns  that  con- 
vert ancient  deposits  of  oyster-shells  into  building 
lime.  At  the  end  of  the  village,  opposite  to  the 
port,  the  hill  closes  to  the  river,  and  the  street 
climbs  up  with  many  romantic  windings  to  connect 
it  with  the  city  of  Parana,  two  miles  away.  The 
open  car  creaks  and  groans  itself  along  the  while  it 
regales  its  passengers  with  feasts  of  beauty  such  as 
street-car  tracks  are  not  accustomed  to  indulge  in. 

There  is  nothing  remarkable  about  the  town 
itself.  Being  the  seat  of  a  bishopric,  there  are 
several  reasonably  good  religious  houses,  and  an 
unfinished  monastic  pile  looms  against  the  sky. 
There  is  the  usual  cathedral,  with  its  cluster  of 
musty  memories  and  a  tower  clock  that  until  re- 
cently had  bags  of  sand  for  weights,  and  so  accom- 
modated the  length  of  its  mom.ents  to  the  state  of 
the  atmosphere.  An  English  resident  referred  to 
the  circumstance  as  an  evidence  of  the  progressive 
spirit  of  cathedral  culture.  The  normal  school  is  a 
modern  rival.  The  city  has  a  population  of  about 
twelve  thousand.  The  principal  business  is  con- 
nected with  the  import  trade,  and  long  caravans  of 
bullock-carts  starting  for  the  interior  of  the  Province 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  225 

give  to  the  little  city  a  continual  appearance  of  busi- 
ness activity,  carried  on  with  clue  moderation. 

One  bric^ht  Christmas  mornincf  found  me  domi- 
ciled  in  this  commercial  emporium  at  the  Hotel 
Frances^  which  accommodates  travellers  at  two  dol- 
lars per  day.  Before  sunrise  a  livery  carriage  of 
English  make,  drawn  by  a  span  of  grays,  was  at  the 
door,  and,  with  three  others,  I  was  off  for  "  a  glo- 
rious Christmas  ride." 

True,  the  steeds  were  somewhat  weatherworn, 
and  portions  of  the  epidermis  had  been  abraded 
from  their  shoulders  and  backs  ;  neither  were  their 
joints  as  supple  as  in  colthood.  Portions  of  the 
cutis  vera  had  also  been  abraded  from  the  cushions 
and  lining  of  the  carriage,  and  it  creaked  rheumati- 
cally.  But  both  did  their  best  to  make  a  ten-dollar 
amble  over  the  smooth  prairie,  and  what  reasonable 
beings  could  ask  for  more  ?  There  was  a  crisp  fresh- 
ness in  the  air  and  a  crisp  sparkle  in  the  dewdrops, 
with  no  suggestion  of  Jack  Frost.  The  tierra-tierra 
went  crouching  in  the  grass  or  swept  the  low  air 
with  its  broad  wings.  Little  chirping  warblers  and 
myriad  insect  life  filled  the  air  with  a  low,  glad 
harmony.  Parrots  and  paroquets  chattered  in  the 
trees.  All  nature  exhaled  the  angel's  song,  "  Peace 
on  earth."    The  thousands  of  sheep  grazing  on  every 


226  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

side  felt  that  peace  unbroken,  and  scarce  raised  their 
heads  as  we  rolled  past.  Our  course  at  first  wound 
along  the  bluff  on  which  the  city  stands.  Below 
lay  the  clear,  broad,  blue  river  with  its  pretty  islands. 
Steamers  ploughed  the  water,  streaking  the  blue 
with  long  clouds  of  black  smoke  and  gray  steam. 
Here  and  there  were  the  tall  masts  of  sea-going 
brigs  and  sloops,  and  the  wavelets  were  flecked  with 
the  bunting  of  small  crafts.  On  the  mainland,  lovely 
glades  of  freshest  verdure.  Again,  a  glimpse  of 
river,  islands,  groves,  and  glades,  and  then  the 
horizon  shuts  in  only  the  broad  stretch  of  rolling 
prairie,  with  feeding  flocks  and  here  and  there  the 
mud  hut  of  an  Italian  immigrant.  We  pass  a 
wagon,  sajis  a  bed,  on  its  way  to  town  with  a  hila- 
rious company  of  men  and  women,  whose  bare  feet 
dangle  midway  to  the  ground,  and  farther  on  a 
pair  of  stalwart  Italian  peasant  women  providently 
carrying  their  shoes  on  their  arms.  The  heat  is 
growing  oppressive,  when  the  "  California,"  with  the 
"  stars  and  stripes"  floating  over  it,  comes  in  view, 
and  with  the  shade  of  the  wide-spreading  ombu 
tree  at  its  gate  the  morning  ride  is  ended. 

Christmas  day  in  a  foreign  land !  and  Christmas 
day  with  the  mercury  in  the  nineties !  How  it  an- 
tagonizes  cherished   memories  and   sets  at  naught 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


227 


all  sense  of  propriety!  But  the  stars  come  out  at 
its  close  as  peacefully  as  if  the  earth  were  wrapped 
in  its  spotless  winding-sheet. 

In  the  United  States,  Christmas  is  one  day  in 
length,  and  suggests  sleigh-rides,  presents,  and  gen- 
eral good  cheer.  In  the  La  Plata  countries  it  is 
twelve  days  long  and  suggests  the  pcsebre,  or 
manger.  In  the  homes  of  wealth,  money  without 
stint  is  lavished  on  the  pcscbrcs,  and  the  poorest 
regard  the  securing  of  one,  be  it  never  so  simple, 
an  object  for  which  to  stint  their  scanty  living.  The 
windows  of  business  houses  are  full  of  them, — not 
merely  as  advertisements.  In  one  it  is  a  moss- 
grown  cave ;  in  another,  a  tent  in  a  rocky  wilder- 
ness, with  the  animals  from  Noah's  Ark  hovering 
about  it,  and  a  gentle  nun  keeping  them  at  bay. 
In  another  it  is  a  gorgeous  niche,  with  the  **  Queen 
of  Heaven"  rocking  the  cradle.  Again,  a  Sister 
of  Charity  sits  holding  an  infant  swathed  like  an 
Egyptian  mummy.  Step  into  a  saiitaria  (image 
shop)  and  the  clerk  will  ask,  "  Have  a  Jesus  ?" 
"Have  a  Mary?"  Unconsciously  he  has  acquired 
a  flippant  tone.  Be  the  image  what  it  may  to  his 
customer,  to  him  it  is  but  a  bit  of  merchandise. 

I  noticed  a  pesebre  in  a  private  school-room  on 
which  much  care  had  been  expended.     The  desks 


228  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

on  one  side  of  the  room  had  been  replaced  with  a 
raised  platform  surrounded  by  circular  steps,  which 
were  covered  with  bright  cambric.  On  them  were 
a  variety  of  toys  beyond  my  powers  of  description, 
each  of  which  may  or  may  not  have  had  signifi- 
cance. There  were  giraffes  with  movable  heads  ; 
tiger-cats  with  a  nasal  squeak ;  groups  of  nonde- 
script peasants  with  bundles  of  unknown  cereals, 
and  nondescript  knights  without  bundles.  There 
were  miniature  lakes  in  glass  preserve  dishes,  with 
real  fishes  swimming  in  them,  and  make-believe 
bugs  and  spiders  floating  on  the  water.  There  were 
monkeys  riding  on  elephants,  and  couriers' galloping 
at  full  speed  through  forests  made  of  twigs  broken 
from  orange,  eucalyptus,  silver-and-gold,  and  mag- 
nolia trees.  The  platform  itself  was  heavily  shaded 
with  large  branches  from  all  available  kinds  of  de- 
ciduous trees  and  evergreens,  mingled  with  canes, 
maize,  grasses,  and  wheat-stalks.  On  the  platform 
was  a  canopy,  guarded  on  one  side  by  a  mule  and 
a  camel,  with  figures  under  them  that  might  be 
shepherds  or  banditti.  In  the  background  appeared 
the  cowl  of  Joseph,  and  at  the  farther  edge  stood 
Mary,  in  a  white  satin  robe  with  tinsel  trimmings, 
and  wearing  a  most  woe-begone  countenance. 
Through    a   secluded  path  at    one  side,  the   kings 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  220 

of  Egypt,  Arabia,  and  Nubia  came  jogging  along,  in 
single  file,  each  carrying  a  roll  of  spices.  Each  day 
they  are  moved  a  little  nearer,  till,  on  January  6, 
their  journey  ends.  Under  the  canopy  lay  a  wax 
doll,  a  foot  or  more  in  length,  clothed  also  in  satin 
and  tinsel,  and  bound  around  the  waist  with  a  gilt 
girdle.  On  its  head  were  a  mass  of  curls  and 
frizzes,  among  which  were  twined  gilt  beads  as 
though  it  were  ready  for  a  fiincy  ball.  It  lay  on  a 
crimson  velvet  cushion,  supporting  itself  on  one 
elbow  and  holding  up  a  string  of  pearl  baubles  with 
which  it  seemed  immensely  gratified.  And  zvas  that 
the  Saviour  of  Ulajikind  f 

On  another  Christmas  occasion  I  went  into  a 
brilliantly-lighted  cathedral.  The  kings  had  nearly 
ended  their  journey.  In  front  of  the  high  altar, 
and  a  little  to  one  side,  was  a  grotto  where  stood  a 
mule,  a  monk,  and  a  nun,  looking  intently  at  a  baby, 
over  which  a  docile  cow  was  chewing  the  cud,  and 
before  which  multitudes  were  represented  as  kneel- 
infT.  Outside  the  crrotto  was  "The  Queen  of 
Heaven"  and  "  Mother  of  God,"  life  size,  in  a  blaze 
of  jewels,  and  the  real  people  were  kneeling  to  her. 

Near  the  main  entrance,  on  a  low  pedestal,  was  a 
glass  case  in  which  lay  a  wax  doll,  the  size  of  a 
common    baby   three    months    old.      It  also  had    a 

20 


230 


LA    PLATA    COUNTRIES 


mass  of  curls  twined  with  gilt  beads,  and  was  clothed 
in  laces  and  rich  embroidery.  It  kicked  out  its 
bare  foot,  baby  fashion,  and  the  retiring  worshippers 
stooped  to  kiss  the  foot  through  the  glass. 

The  Province  of  Corrientes,  which  lies  in  the 
great  bend  of  the  Parana  River,  is  the  most  northern 
of  the  litoral  Provinces.  The  population  is  of  a 
mixed  Spanish  and  Guarani  Indian  origin,  and  the 
Guarani  is  the  language  spoken.  Cattle  raising  is 
almost  the  sole  occupation  of  the  people  throughout 
the  Province.  But  the  extreme  fertility  of  its  soil, 
its  excellent  timber  inviting  to  mechanical  enter 
prises,  its  abundant  water-courses,  and  its  genial 
climate  alike  bespeak  for  it  a  prosperous  future  of 
varied  industries.  The  few  inhabitants  of  pure  or 
comparatively  pure  European  descent,  who  retain 
the  refinements  of  their  ancestors  and  speak  the 
Spanish  language,  are  mostly  found  in  the  city  of 
Corrientes,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Paraguay  River, 
which  is  the  port  of  entry  for  the  Province.  Its 
foreign  commerce  for  1883  amounted  to  $2,587,213, 
and  presented  the  rather  anomalous  (for  an  Argen- 
tine port  of  entry)  circumstance  that  for  every 
dollar's  worth  of  goods  imported  there  were  nearly 
fifty  dollars'  worth  exported. 

It  is  expected  that  on  some  auspicious  vianana^ 


20 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  23 1 

or  pasa  vianana^  Corrlentes  will  be  the  eastern 
terminus  of  a  railroad  through  the  Gran  Chaco, 
which  will  connect  the  upper  Parana  by  way  of 
the  Tingonasta  Pass  of  the  Andes  with  Copiapo 
in  Chili,  and  thence  with  the  Pacific  coast ;  and 
that  it  will  be  the  northwestern  terminus  of  a  chain 
of  railroads  linking  together  the  cities  and  rivers 
of  the  Mesopotamia,  and  through  them  clasping 
hands  with  the  neighboring  Provinces  of  Brazil 
and  the  Republic  of  Uruguay. 

General  Urquiza,  who,  as  Governor  of  Corrientes, 
held  the  Mesopotamia  in  subjection  to  Rosas  from 
1845  till  185 1,  held  his  seat  of  government  in  this 
capital.  When  induced  by  the  liberal  patriots  to 
turn  against  Rosas,  he  became  the  representative 
of  the  liberating  party  that  overthrew  the  tyrant, 
and  was  recognized  as  the  head  of  the  Argentine 
Confederation,  with  the  title  of  President,  until  his 
own  despotic  rule  insured  his  overthrow. 

Misiones*  is  the  smallest  of  the  Argentine  ter- 
ritories. It  received  its  name  from  the  Jesuit  mis- 
sions, or  reductions  among  the  Indians,  established 
here  in  the  seventeenth  century.  The  circumstance 
of  its  having  been  chosen  as  the  seat  of  its  operations 

*  Pronounced  Mis-I-O'-nes. 


2^2  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

by  an  order  whose  members  never  fail  to  possess 
themselves  of  the  richest  portions  of  the  earth, 
is  sufficient  proof  of  its  abundant  natural  resources. 
Notwithstanding  this,  large  sections  of  its  magnifi- 
cent forests  are  absolutely  without  human  inhabi- 
tants, and  in  1882  the  whole  population  of  the 
territory  was  estimated  at  only  a  little  more  than 
eight  thousand,  all  of  whom,  save  a  few  traders, 
are  of  the  mixed  Guarani  race  and  speak  the 
Guarani  language.  The  National  Government  then 
undertook  the  experiment  of  planting  agricultural 
colonies  in  this  eastern  outpost  of  its  possessions, 
and  sent  an  exploring  party  under  Captain' Hunter 
Davidson,  formerly  of  the  United  States  Navy,  to 
ascertain  whether  it  were  possible  to  navigate  the 
Parana  above  the  falls  of  Apipe,  with  flat-bottomed 
steamers  similar  to  those  used  on  our  small  rivers. 
The  result  of  this  exploration  was  highly  satisfactory. 
Posadas,  on  the  Parana,  was  made  the  capital  of 
the  territory  and  connected  with  Corrientes  by 
steamer.  During  the  same  year  it  was  connected 
by  telegraph  with  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres,  and 
preparatory  steps  taken  to  connect  it  with  Concordia, 
on  the  Uruguay  River,  by  railroad.  While  the 
exploring  expedition  was  still  in  progress,  the 
Congress    of    1883    passed    a    bill    relating    to    the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  233 

national  territories,  which  declared  the  whole  of 
Misiones  to  be  farming  lands,  provided  for  its 
survey  as  such,  and  to  place  it  immediately  in 
the  market  as  public  lands,  at  two  dollars  per 
square  hectacre,  payable  in  five  annual  instalments, 
the  first  when  the  sale  is  registered.  To  prevent 
pre-emption  by  speculators,  which  would  tend  to 
defeat  the  purpose  of  the  legislators,  it  is  provided 
that  no  individual  or  company  can  buy  less  than 
twenty-five  or  more  than  four  hundred  square 
hectacres  in  the  same  section.  A  distinguished 
German  naturalist  was  employed  to  make  a 
thorough  examination  of  the  vegetation  of  the 
territory  and  prepare  a  full  report  of  its  timber  , 
and  medicinal  and  textile  plants,  and  other  pro- 
ductions. It  is  expected  that  this  report  will  be 
of  great  value  in  directing  future  industries.  With 
the  establishment  of  the  first  colonies  the  culture 
of  the  sugar-cane  was  introduced  with  such  sat- 
isfactory results  that  its  production  on  a  large  scale 
is  contemplated.  It  is  also  believed  that  the  cul- 
tivation of  cotton  will  prove  a  lucrative  employ- 
ment; and  that  within  a  comparatively  short  period 
the  wilderness  of  Misiones  will  be  transformed  to 
a  scene  of  busy,  prosperous  human   life. 

Another,  if  not  the  chief,  object  of  the  expedition 

20* 


234 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


sent  out  under  Captain  Davidson  was  to  verify  the 
boundary  between  Misiones  and  Brazil,  which  is 
now  the  only  part  of  its  boundary  which  has  not 
been  defined  by  treaty  since  the  reconstruction  of 
the  Republic.  The  Iguazu  River  to  its  junction 
with  the  Parana  was  fixed  as  the  boundary  between 
the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  possessions  by  the 
treaty  of  1750,  to  which  Ferdinand  VI.  was  a  party, 
and  has  continued  to  be  so  regarded  by  the  Argen- 
tine nation.  However,  questions  arose  with  regard 
to  it,  and  Brazil  seemed  disposed  to  claim  Misiones. 
In  1884  the  adjustment  of  the  question  threatened 
an  appeal  to  arms,  but  calmer  thoughts  prevailed. 

"Captain  Davidson's  expedition  went  up  the  river 
and  found  it  navigable  for  light-draught  steamers  as 
far  as  the  falls  of  the  Iguazu,  which  had  not  prob- 
ably been  visited  by  a  white  man  for  at  least  one 
hundred  years.  He  describes  them  as  one  of  the 
most  wonderful  sights  in  nature.  Indeed,  for  mag- 
nificence and  extent  he  knows  of  nothing  equal  to 
them  in  this  or  any  other  country.  The  falls,  or 
series  of  falls,  far  exceed  Niagara,  not  only  in  alti- 
tude but  in  the  number  and  variety  of  the  cascades 
which  pour  over  the  precipices  for  miles  around  in 
every  direction.  The  body  of  water,  however,  is 
considerably  less.     The  dense  tropical  forest  made 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  235 

it  almost  impossible  to  take  photof^raphs  of  the 
marvellous  panorama ;  but  by  scaling  and  fixing  the 
instrument  in  the  tops  of  the  immense  trees  a  series 
of  most  remarkable  views  were  obtained." 

In  the  "  History  of  Brazil,"  Southey  transcribes 
the  following  description  of  these  wonderful  falls, 
given  by  a  traveller  who  visited  them  more  than  a 
century  ago,  and  spent  eight  days  in  taking  meas- 
urements : 

"  This  river  (Iguazii),  which  flows  tranquilly 
through  forests  of  gigantic  trees,  preserving  in  its 
course  a  uniform  breadth  of  about  a  mile,  takes  a 
southern  direction  some  three  miles  before  it  reaches 
the  fall ;  its  contracted  width  being  four  hundred  and 
eighty-two  fathoms,  its  depth  from  twelve  to  twenty 
feet,  and  its  banks  little  elevated.  As  it  approaches 
the  descent  several  small  islands  and  many  reefs 
and  detached  rocks  on  the  left-hand  side  confine  its 
channel  and  direct  it  a  little  to  the  westward.  Not 
far  below  them  the  waters  of  the  middle  channel 
begin  their  descent.  The  shallower  branch  makes 
its  way  along  the  eastern  bank  among  reefs  and 
rocks,  where  it  falls  sometimes  in  cataracts,  some- 
times in  sheets,  till,  being  confined  on  the  side  of 
the  shore,  it  makes  its  last  descent  from  a  small  pro- 
jection two  hundred  and   eighty  fathoms  from  the 


2^5  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

point  where  it  began.  The  waters  fall  first  upon  a 
shelf  of  rock  jutting  about  twenty  feet  out,  then 
precipitate  themselves  into  the  great  basin,  which 
is  twenty-eight  fathoms  below  the  upper  level.  The 
western  branch  seems  to  rest  after  its  broken  course 
in  a  large  bay  formed  by  the  projecting  point  of  an 
island,  then  pours  itself  by  a  double  cataract  into 
the  great  basin.  The  breadth  of  this  western 
branch  is  sixty-three  fathoms,  and  from  the  point 
where  its  descent  begins  on  this  side  to  its  last  fall 
is  a  distance  of  six  hundred  and  fifty-six. 

"On  the  fall  the  water  rises  during  the  floods  five 
feet,  and  below  it  twenty-five.  The  breadth  of  the 
channel  opposite  the  island  is  forty  fathoms,  and 
sixty-five  a  league  below  the  fall,  to  which  distance 
the  waters  still  continue  to  be  in  a  state  of  agita- 
tion. Enormous  trunks  of  trees  are  seen  floating 
down,  or  whirled  to  the  edge  of  the  basin,  or  en- 
tangled among  the  reefs  and  broken  rocks,  or 
caught  by  the  numerous  islands  which  lie  in  the 
midst  of  the  stream,  and  some  in  the  very  fall  itself, 
dividing  and  subdividing  its  waters  into  an  infinity 
of  channels.  From  the  basin  the  collected  river 
flow^s,  with  force  which  nothing  can  resist,  through 
rocks  eighty  or  one  hundred  feet  in  height,  of  hard 
stone,  in  some  places  brown,  in  others  a  deep  red 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


237 


color  inclining  to  purple.  No  fish,  it  is  said,  can 
endure  to  approach  this  dreadful  place.  A  thick 
vapor  rises  ten  fathoms  high  in  a  clear  day,  twenty 
at  morning  when  the  sky  is  overcast.  This  cloud 
is  visible  from  the  Parana,  and  the  sound  is  dis- 
tinctly heard  there,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles  in  a 
straight  line.  (Exact  situation,  25°  42'  20"  south 
latitude,  3°  47'  50^^  longitude  east  from  Buenos 
Ayres.)" 


238 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


CHAPTER    XV. 


THE    CUl^O    DISTRICT. 


The  three  Provinces,  Mendoza,  San  Luis,  and  San 
Juan,  are  known  as  the  Cuyo  District.  The  two 
latter  were  carved  from  the  original  Province  of 
Mendoza,  which,  before  the  erection  of  the  Vice- 
royalty  of  Buenos  Ayres,  was  governed  as  the  Cuyo 
Department  of  Chili.  While  the  new  Viceroyalty 
had  only  the  three  subdivisions,  Buenos  Ayres,  Tu- 
cuman,  and  Paraguay,  the  Cuyo  District  belonged 
to  the  first.  It  was  originally  settled  by  Spanish 
colonists  from  Chili,  and  an  intimate  communication 
has  always  been  maintained  between  their  descend- 
ants and  those  of  the  mother  colony.  The  herds  of 
the  Argentine  plains  are  one  of  the  principal  sources 
on  which  Chili  depends  for  food,  as  the  mules  bred 
in  the  upper  Provinces  are  its  dependence  for  moun- 
tain travel.  The  Cuyo  is  an  agricultural  rather  than 
a  grazing  district.  Even  its  grazing  has  an  agricul- 
tural basis,  and  hence  differs  essentially  from  that  of 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA, 


239 


the  pampas.  Comparatively  few  of  the  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  cattle  and  mules  that  annu- 
ally traverse  the  Uspallata  Valley  and  climb  over 
the  Andes  to  the  shambles  and  marts  of  Chili  have 
been  bred  in  this  district.  These  come  from  the 
broader  prairies  to  the  southeast,  those  from  the 
highlands  to  the  north  and  northeast,  and  rest  here 
for  a  few  weeks,  and  arc  fattened  in  rich  fields  of 
lucern  before  being  driven  over  the  mountains. 
These  luxuriant  fields  of  lucern  are  a  source  of  con- 
siderable wealth.  Cattle  bought  by  the  abctoirs  al 
cortc,  at  six  dollars  per  head,  from  the  cstanccros  of 
the  pampas,  sell  for  three  times  that  amount  to  the 
agents  who  take  them  over  the  mountains  after 
having  been  pastured  only  two  or  three  months. 
Their  journey  from  Mendoza  to  Valparaiso  requires 
from  twelve  to  fourteen  days,  and  at  its  conclusion 
the  cattle  sell  for  about  double  the  sum  paid  for 
them  in  Mendoza.  In  1883,  Mendoza  sent  seventy- 
one  thousand  cattle  to  Chili,  worth  one  million  seven 
hundred  thousand  dollars. 

The  Uspallata  Pass  is  the  most  accessible  door 
through  the  Andes  between  Chili  and  the  Argen- 
tine Republic.  The  Uspallata  Valley  leads  from  the 
Pamarillo  Mountains  in  Mendoza  to  the  Andes,  at 
an  average  elevation  of  five  thousand  nine  hundred 


240 


LA    PLATA    COUNTRIES 


feet.  From  this  valley  several  defiles  through  the 
mountains  are  accessible ;  so  that,  by  the  general 
term  Uspallata  Pass,  either  of  the  defiles,  La  Cum- 
bre,  Portillo,  Puerta  del  Inca,  and  some  other  local 
terms  may  be  indicated.  The  highway  mostly  fre- 
quented by  mercantile  caravans  is  known  as  '*  Villa 
Vicencis."  Travellers  make  the  journey  on  mule- 
back.  From  eight  to  ten  days  are  required  from 
the  city  of  Mendoza  to  Valparaiso.  Native  ladies 
who  cross  the  Andes  ride  "  clothes-pin  fashion," 
and  foreign  ladies  who  would  feast  their  eyes  on 
their  sublime  scenery  must  adopt  the  same  eques- 
trian habit. 

Several  low  mountain  ranges  cross  portions  of 
the  Cuyo  District,  chief  of  which  is  that  known  in 
Mendoza  as  the  Pamarillo,  and  in  San  Juan  as  the 
Tontal  Range.  Except  the  low  mountain  ranges 
and  the  valleys  included  between  them,  the  face  of 
the  country  is  flat,  and  the  district  may  be  regarded 
as  a  compromise  or  intermediate  link  between  the 
pampas  and  the  highlands.  The  thick,  shrubby 
growth  of  thorny  plants  that  characterizes  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  Andes  for  a  thousand  miles  south  of 
22°  spreads  over  the  plains  of  the  western  part  of  the 
Province  of  Mendoza;  but  native  timber  of  quality 
suited  to  building  and  cabinet-work  is  unknown  to 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  24 1 

the  region.  Under  the  stimuUis  of  government 
rewards,  poplar,  ehn,  and  wahiut  have  been  intro- 
duced with  satisfactory  results. 

The  latitude  of  the  district  corresponds  with  that 
of  Alabama.  The  summer  is  warm,  but  the  winter 
months  delightful,  the  temperature  ranging  from 
80°  to  90°  Fahrenheit.  Occasionally  the  zonda  is 
scorching. 

By  the  census  report  of  18S2,  the  population  of 
the  Cuyo  District  was  266,000,  of  which  Mendoza 
had  99,000  and  San  Juan  91,000.  The  Quichua 
language  is  spoken  by  the  peasantry. 

The  agricultural  interests  of  the  Cuyo  date  back 
to  a  very  early  period,  when  the  careful  husbandry 
of  the  Indians  enabled  it  to  send  bread  supplies  to 
its  less  favored  neighbors.  The  first  wheat  exported 
from  the  La  Plata  was  from  Mendoza.  The  agricul- 
tural implements  still  used  are  of  the  most  primitive 
kind.  Wooden  ploughs  prepare  the  ground  for 
planting,  and  the  ripened  grain  is  cut  with  knives 
and  threshed  by  treading.  In  many  places  walls  of 
solid  masonry  are  built  into  hill-sides  to  protect  the 
cultivated  portions  from  being  swept  away  in  land- 
slides. Previous  to  1868  the  people  were  harassed 
by  frequent  predatory  incursions  of  plundering 
Indians    from    the    pampas.       Since    that    time    the 


242 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRLES 


military  measures  for  their  defence  have  proved 
effective,  and  the  agricultural  interests  have  ad- 
vanced accordingly.  In  1883,  Mendoza  had  447,905 
acres  of  cultivated  lands  and  San  Juan  300,000 
acres.  Improved  lands  are  valued  at  from  thirty 
dollars  per  acre  upwards. 

The  luxurious  habits  of  the  early  Spanish  settlers 
demanded  larger  quantities  of  wine  than  could 
readily  be  procured  from  the  Old  World,  and  atten- 
tion was  turned  to  its  home  production.  Until 
within  a  few  years  the  grape  was  turned  into  the 
favorite  beverage  by  much  the  same  methods  that 
were  employed  by  the  Spaniards  three  hundred 
years  ago,  but  now  improved  methods  are  being 
introduced.  There  are  several  brands  of  native 
wines  in  common  use  in  the  cities  of  the  litoral, 
and  others  which  do  not  bear  transportation  supply 
a  local  demand.  The  cultivation  of  the  grape  is  now 
one  of  the  most  important  industries  of  the  Cuyo. 
In  1882,  San  Juan  produced  5,236,186  gallons,  valued 
at  ;^i, 107,275,  or  twenty-one  cents  per  gallon,  and  the 
statistical  report  of  1883  shows  that  it  has  25,000 
acres  in  grapes.  In  the  latter  year  12,158  casks  of 
wine  were  shipped  from  Mendoza  to  Buenos  Ay  res. 
In  quality  it  is  compared  with  the  best  Burgundy 
wines.    Large  quantities  of  raisins,  figs,  olives,  dates, 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  243 

and  other  fruits  are  also  prepared  for  market,  and 
the  cultivation  of  sugar-cane  is  on  the  increase.  In 
1883,  San  Juan  had  12,000  acres  of  cane,  and  ex- 
tensive sugar-works  were  established  in  different 
parts  of  the  Province.  Attention  is  also  given  to 
the  honey-bee,  and  Mendoza  honey  is  regarded  as 
of  superior  quality.  In  one  of  the  first  apiaries 
established  the  record  of  a  single  swarm  was  kept 
for  ten  years,  when  it  had  increased  to  twenty  thou- 
sand swarms. 

Owing  to  a  considerable  uncertainty  and  irregu- 
larity in  the  amount  of  the  rainfall,  the  agricultural 
industries  have  had  to  contend  with  great  disadvan- 
tages, and  irrigation  has  been  resorted  to  wherever 
streams  of  water  have  made  it  practicable.  In  1881 
the  drought  was  of  so  long  continuation  that  crops 
were  cut  short  and  great  suffering  ensued.  To  pre- 
vent, if  possible,  the  recurrence  of  such  a  calamity, 
the  Federal  Government  employed  a  hydraulic 
engineer  from  Europe  to  make  an  experimental  test 
in  the  several  Provinces  subject  to  droughts  of  the 
possibility  of  gaining  a  supply  of  water  by  sinking 
artesian  wells.  Machinery  capable  of  reaching  to  a 
depth  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  feet  was  pro- 
vided, the  experiment  to  be  made  in  the  three  Cuyo 
Provinces,  also  in  the  Provinces  of  Catamarca,  San- 


244 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


tiago,  RIoja,  and  Cordoba.  After  nearly  two  years 
of  discouragement,  water  was  first  reached  at  Balde, 
in  the  Province  of  San  Luis,  in  Septeniber,  1884,  at 
a  depth  of  little  more  than  three  hundred  feet.  The 
water  rises  to  a  height  of  two  hundred  and  forty  feet. 
The  event  caused  great  rejoicing. 

The  mineral  interests  of  the  Cuyo  Provinces  are 
of  no  mean  importance.  Building  stone  is  abundant. 
Several  mountains  of  chalk  exist  in  San  Juan,  and 
large  beds  of  the  same  material  underlie  various 
parts  of  the  district.  The  geological  formation  of 
the  southern  part  of  this  Province  is  mostly  clay, 
slate,  and  mica  schist.  The  mountains  of  San  Luis 
abound  in  gold,  silver,  copper,  and  lead.  Twenty- 
five  years  ago,  Mr.  Richard,  the  British  consul  at 
Buenos  Ayres,  described  the  mining  interest  as  "  at 
once  in  its  infancy  and  old  age."  For  some  time 
thereafter  it  was  marked  by  neither  increasing  matu- 
rity nor  rejuvenation.  Recently  renewed  and  in- 
creasing attention  is  being  directed  to  the  mining 
interests.  The  richest  deposits  of  the  precious 
metals  yet  discovered  in  the  district  are  in  the 
Pamarillo-Tontal  range  of  mountains.  The  Tontal 
mines  in  San  Juan  are  11,000  feet  above  sea  level. 
Ores  taken  from  them  have  yielded  as  high  as  400 
ounces  of  pure  silver  to  the  ton,  and  that  taken  from 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


245 


the  Gualilan  mines,  at  an  elevation  of  12,200  feet, 
have  yielded  as  high  as  96  ounces  of  gold  and  4933 
ounces  of  silver  to  the  ton.  These  mines  have  both 
been  worked  by  English  companies.  An  inferior 
quality  of  coal  was  discovered  west  of  the  Pamarillo 
Mountains  several  years  ago,  but  was  never  utilized 
to  any  considerable  extent,  and  was  thought  to  be 
unfit  for  manufacturing  purposes.  Soon  after  the 
settlement  of  the  Chilian  boundary  line,  Colonel 
Olascoago,  who  was  in  charge  of  an  exploring  ex- 
pedition in  the  Andine  regions,  discovered  an  ex- 
tensive coal  deposit  extending  from  the  Province  of 
San  Luis  to  the  Andes  in  a  southwesterly  direction. 
The  samples  of  coal  taken  from  it  are  of  good 
quality.  Government  has  appointed  a  commission 
of  practical  miners  to  make  a  thorough  examination 
of  the  region.  An  abundance  of  good  fuel,  easily 
attainable,  will  work  a  revolution  in  more  than  the 
mining  interests  of  the  district.  While  the  country 
was  still  in  a  chronic  state  of  revolution,  it  was 
known  that  petroleum  existed  in  the  Province  of 
Mendoza.  Two  hundred  miles  west  of  the  old  city 
of  Mendoza  it  was  "  found  flowing  lazily  over  the 
surface,  discharged  through  subterranean  sources." 
Within   the   past   three   years   these   deposits   have 

been    rediscovered    and    others    brought    to    light. 

21* 


2^6  ^^    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

One  between  thirty  and  forty  miles  southwest  of 
Mendoza  city  has  been  granted  to  an  Enghsh  com- 
pany. The  yield  is  said  to  be  forty  per  cent,  of 
pure  kerosene.  A  large  lake  of  oil  covered  with  a 
cap  of  asphalt  has  also  been  found  about  forty  miles 
north  of  the  city,  which  by  analysis  yields  about 
forty  per  cent,  of  pure  oil. 

The  Cuyo  District  is  also  celebrated  for  mineral 
and  thermal  springs,  and  is  yearly  acquiring  in- 
creasing popularity  as  a  resort  for  those  in  search  of 
health. 

The  western  part  of  the  district  contains  some  of 
the  most  sublime  scenery  on  the  globe.  At  a  height 
of  from  11,000  to  14,000  feet  the  Andes  separate 
into  two  distinct  ranges  of  mountains,  the  western 
one  being  a  little  higher  than  the  eastern.  Its  crest 
line  is  at  an  elevation  of  nearly  20,000  feet.  This 
crest  forms  the  true  water-shed  of  the  Andes ;  the 
streams  rising  on  it  break  through  the  eastern  range 
to  seek  the  valleys  at  its  base.  Between  these  ranges 
is  a  valley  nearly  two  hundred  miles  long,  that 
rivals  the  wonders  of  the  Alps.  It  is  accessible  only 
about  three  or  four  months  during  the  year.  From 
the  valley  of  Hermoso,  15,000  feet  above  the  sea, 
rises  the  volcano  Aconcagua,  to  the  height  of 
22,867  feet,  the  highest  known  point  on  the  Amer- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


247 


ican  continent.*  Its  sides  are  abrupt,  presenting  faces 
of  bare  rock  so  nearly  perpendicular  that  for  a  belt 
nearly  two  thousand  feet  in  depth  the  snow  cannot 
lie  on  them,  giving  the  effect  of  a  black  girdle. 
The  form  of  the  mountains  and  valleys  of  the  region 
is  not  favorable  to  the  formation  of  glaciers,  and 
until  recently  it  was  not  known  that  any  exist;  but 
during  his  explorations  in  behalf  of  the  Argentine 
Government,  in  the  spring  of  1883,  Dr.  Giissfeldt 
had  the  honor  of  discovering  a  beautiful  ice  stream 
in  the  valley,  called  Cajon  de  los  Ciprcses,  which  he 
named  the  Ada  Glacier.  He  also  found  crevasses 
filled  with  fragments  of  broken  glaciers.  In  the 
bottom  of  the  valleys  ice  figures  are  encountered, 
shaped  by  wind  and  sun  into  human-like  forms 
which  the  Indians  call  penitcntes  (pilgrims). 

The  city  of  Mendoza  is  beautifully  located  on  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  Pamarillos.  In  the  clear  atmos- 
phere the  Andean  peak  of  Tupungato  (which  is 
easily  seen  at  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 

*  The  famous  Aconcagua  goat  adds  the  treasure  of  its  skin  to  the 
many  sources  of  industrial  wealth  in  the  highlands.  It  is  not 
unknown  to  North  American  commerce.  The  skin  rivals  that  of 
the  Angora  goat  in  texture  and  durability,  and  takes  dye  better. 
The  Angora  goat  has  also  been  successfully  introduced  in  these 
Provinces. 


248  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

miles  from  its  base)  stands  out  boldly  against  the 
deep  blue  of  the  sky.  In  1861  the  city  was  de- 
stroyed by  earthquake,  and  the  sufferings  of  its 
people  excited  compassion  wherever  the  tidings 
were  carried.  Speedy  relief  was  sent  from  Europe 
and  the  United  States.  The  city  was  restored  at  a 
little  distance  from  the  old  site,  and  schools  and 
hospitals  were  built  from  the  surplus  of  the  contri- 
butions after  the  most  pressing  wants  of  the  people 
had  been  relieved.  The  surrounding  country  is 
irrigated  from  the  Mendoza  River,  and  little  canals 
of  running  water,  obtained  from  the  same  source, 
border  the  streets  of  the  city  and  impart  a  delightful 
freshness  to  the  atmosphere. 

The  three  provincial  capitals,  now  bound  together 
by  iron  bands  and  clasped  by  electric  wires,  are  the 
only  cities  in  the  district;  but  smaller  towns  already 
mark  the  course  of  the  railroads,  and  villages  begin 
to  dot  the  country  at  more  frequent  intervals. 

From  among  its  illustrious  sons  this  district  has 
had  the  honor  of  giving  San  Martin  to  the  cause  of 
South  American  independence  and  Sarmiento  to 
the  cause  of  Argentine  liberty  and  national  develop- 
ment. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


249 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

THE    CENTRAL    TROVINCES. 

The  two  distinct  physical  features  of  the  Repub- 
h'c,  prairie  and  mountains,  meet  and  blend  in  the 
Province  of  Cordoba.  The  eastern  portion  is  a 
part  of  the  great  diluvial  basin  sloping  gently 
towards  the  Pa'rana.  In  the  western  part  are  iso- 
lated mountain  ranges  of  oval  outline  and  mod- 
erate elevation.  There  is  nothing  abrupt  in  the 
change  from  the  one  to  the  other.  Two  broad 
steps,  so  to  speak,  lead  up  from  the  lower  plains 
to  the  Cordobese  Sierras^  as  though  the  receding 
ocean  had  lingered  long  at  their  base,  loath  to 
unclasp  its  arms  from  its  little  one,  the  last  of 
the  great  family  of  mountains  that  had  risen  in 
sublimity  from  its  bosom ;  then  going  a  little 
farther,  had  loitered  and  cast  back  lingering  glances 
of  loving  farewell.  The  lower  of  these  plateaus, 
or  shores  of  the  ancient  sea,  is  admirably  adapted 
to    agriculture.     The    higher    one,   called   the  altos^ 


250 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


is  considered  better  adapted  for  grazing.  As  the 
altos  approach  the  sierras  the  soil  becomes  gravelly 
and  distinctly  granitic,  and  the  prairie  vegetation 
gives  place  to  a  heavier  spontaneous  growth.  The 
base  of  the  sierras  are  clothed  with  rich  grass,  and 
their  gently-rounded  outlines  crowned  with  magnif- 
icent forests  of  palm  and  other  subtropical  trees. 
Hidden  within  them  is  a  wealth  of  building  stone 
of  the  best  quality,  among  which  are  rich  deposits 
of  white,  blue,  pink,  green,  and  variegated  marble, 
vying  in  quality  with  that  from  the  finest  quarries 
of  Italy.  In  them,  also,  begin  those  rich  metal- 
liferous stores  that  characterize  the'  Argentine  and 
Bolivian   highlands. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  a  more  delightful 
climate  than  that  of  Cordoba.  The  mercury  never 
falls  below  36°,  and  rarely  rises  above  100°  Fah- 
renheit. In  1882  the  greatest  extreme  of  cold 
known  at  the  capital  was  44°  F.,  and  the  greatest 
extreme  of  heat  101°  F.,  while  the  mean  tempera- 
ture for  the  year  was  61°  F.  The  most  luscious 
fruits  grow  spontaneously,  or  reward  the  simplest 
human  efforts. 

As  in  other  parts  of  the  pampas,  raising  cattle, 
sheep,  and  mules  was  the  almost  exclusive  interest 
in   the   eastern   and  southern  part  of  the  Province 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


251 


previous  to  the  introduction  of  the  raih'oad.  The 
cattle  and  sheep  were  exported  through  Rosario 
and  Buenos  Ay  res,  and  the  mules  not  needed  for 
the  caravan  trade  went  over  the  mountains  to  Chih'. 
Since  the  introduction  of  the  railroad,  the  agricul- 
tural colonies  are  crowding  across  the  Santa  Fe 
border.  In  the  sierras,  mining  has  naturally  at- 
tracted attention.  In  the  sections  where  neither 
cattle  raising  nor  mining  has  absorbed  the  attention, 
a  variety  of  manual  employments  have  been  car- 
ried to  a  considerable  degree  of  excellence.  Of 
these,  the  arts  of  dressing  goat-skins,  of  tanning 
leather,  and  -of  manufacturing  articles  of  leather 
deservedly  rank  among  those  of  greatest  import- 
ance. The  Cordobese  exhibit  of  these  articles  at 
the  Continental  Exposition  at  Buenos  Ayres  in  1882 
was  a  conspicuous  feature  of  that  creditable  display, 
and  an  added  proof  that  the  Province  merits  the  pre- 
cedence universally  accorded  to  it. 

Industry  is  a  recognized  characteristic  of  Cor- 
doban  women.  The  various  feminine  employments 
known  to  the  country  have  been  carried  to  the 
highest  perfection  by  them.  Cordobese  pottery, 
rugs,  blankets,  laces,  and  embroidery  find  their  way 
into  the  cities  of  the  coast  and  are  favorably  known 
in  the  neighboring  Provinces.     It  is  doubtful  if  the 


2^2  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

embroideries  of  any  land  can  exceed  in  beauty  those 
wrought  by  the  patient  fingers  of  Argentine  ladies, 
and  especially  those  lavished  on  priestly  vestments 
and  other  accessories  of  religious  ceremonials.  Nor 
can  the  ladies  of  any  part  of  Argentina  excel, — it 
is  no  disparagement  to  them  to  add, — if,  indeed, 
they  can  equal,  those  of  Cordoba  in  this  accomplish- 
ment. In  woven  articles,  fineness  of  finish  is  hardly 
to  be  expected  where  only  the  most  primitive  me- 
chanical appliances  exist.  Yet  are  Cordobese  fruits 
of  the  loom  not  without  real  excellence,  and  their 
bright  colors  and  varied  patterns  show  considerable 
ingenuity. 

The  city  of  Cordoba  is  in  the  altos,  twelve  hun- 
dred and  forty  feet  above  sea  level.  It  was  founded 
thirty-four  years  before  the  first  English  settlement 
was  made  within  the  present  limits  of  the  United 
States.  For  a  considerable  time  it  was  the  capital 
of  the  Intendexcia  of  Tucuman,  which  included  the 
territory  now  embraced  in  the  Argentine  Provinces 
of  Cordoba,  Tucuman,  Rioja,  Catamarca,  Santiago 
del  Estero,  Salta,  and  Jujui.  Forty  years  ago  Sar- 
miento  thus  described  it : 

"  Cordoba,  though  somewhat  in  the  grave  old 
Spanish  style,  is  the  most  charming  city  in  South 
America  in  its  first  aspect.    It  is  situated  in  a  hollow 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  253 

formed  in  an  elevated  region  called  the  Altos.  So 
closely  are  its  symmetrical  buildings  crowded  together 
for  want  of  space,  that  it  may  be  said  to  be  folded 
back  upon  itself  The  sky  is  remarkably  clear,  the 
winter  season  dry  and  bracing,  the  summers  hot  and 
stormy. 

**  Towards  the  east  it  has  a  promenade  of  singular 
beauty,  the  capricious  outlines  of  which  strike  the 
eye  with  a  magical  effect.  It  consists  of  a  square 
pond,  surrounded  by  a  very  broad  walk  shaded  by 
ancient  willow  trees  of  colossal  size.  Each  side  is 
the  length  of  a  cuadra  (square).  The  enclosure  is 
of  wrought-iron  grating  with  enormous  doors  in  the 
centre  of  each  of  its  four  sides,  so  that  the  prom- 
enade is  an  enchanted  prison,  within  which  its 
inmates  circulate  around  a  beautiful  temple  of  Greek 
architecture.  In  the  chief  square  stands  the  mag- 
nificent cathedral,  of  Gothic  construction,  with  its 
immense  dome  carved  in  arabesques,  the  only  model 
of  mediaeval  architecture,  so  far  as  I  know,  existing 
in  South  America.  Another  square  is  occupied  by 
the  church  and  convent  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  in 
the  presbytery  of  which  is  a  trap-door  communi- 
cating with  excavations  which  extend  to  some  dis- 
tance below  the  city,  which  are  at  present  imper- 
fectly explored  :  dungeons  have  also  been  discovered 

22 


2^4  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

where  the  society  buried  its  criminals  alive.  If  any 
one  wishes  to  become  acquainted  with  monuments 
of  the  middle  ages  and  to  examine  into  the  power 
and  the  constitution  of  that  celebrated  religious 
order  above  referred  to,  Cordoba  is  the  place  where 
one  of  its  greatest  central  establishments  was 
situated. 

"  In  every  square  of  that  compact  city  stands  a 
superb  convent,  a  monastery,  or  a  house  for  unpro- 
fessional nuns,  or  for  the  performance  of  specific 
religious  exercises.  In  former  times  every  family  in- 
cluded a  priest,  a  monk,  a  nun,  or  a  chorister;  the 
poorer  classes  contenting  themselves  with  having 
among  them  a  hermit,  a  lay-brother,  a  sacristan,  or 
an  acolyte.  Each  convent  or  monastery  possessed 
a  set  of  adjoining  out-buildings,  where  lived  and 
multiplied  eight  hundred  slaves  of  the  order; 
negroes,  zamboes,  mulattoes,  and  quadroons,  with 
blue  eyes,  fair  and  waving  hair,  limbs  as  polished 
as  marble,  genuine  Circassians  adorned  with  every 
grace,  but  showing  their  African  origin  by  their 
teeth,  serving  for  bait  to  the  passions  of  man,  all 
for  the  greater  honor  and  profit  of  the  convent  to 
which  these  houris  belonged. 

**  Here  is  also  the  celebrated  University  of  Cor- 
doba, founded  as  long  ago  as   1613,  and   in  v/hose 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


255 


gloomy  cloisters  eight  generations  of  medicine  and 
divinity,  both  branches  of  law,  illustrious  writers, 
commentators,  and  scholars  have  passed  their 
youth.  .  .  . 

**  It  is  a  fact  that,  as  a  traveller  approaches  Cor- 
doba, he  looks  along  the  horizon  without  discovering 
the  sanctimonious  and  mysterious  city, — the  city 
that  wears  the  doctor's  cap  and  tassels.  At  last  his 
guide  says,  *  Look,  it  is  down  there  among  the 
bushes.*  And  in  reality,  as  he  fixes  his  gaze  upon 
the  ground  at  a  short  distance  in  advance  there 
appear  one,  two,  three,  ten  crosses,  followed  by 
domes  and  towers  belonging  to  the  many  churches." 

Not  a  word  of  this  beautiful  description  need  be 
altered,  but  to  it  must  be  added  the  new  life,  the 
new  thought,  the  new  enterprise  of  a  generation  of 
the  new  Republic.  The  Alameda  still  sleeps  in 
beauty,  and  rustic  sofas  between  each  pair  of  trees 
invite  the  lover  of  beauty  to  loiter  beneath  the 
graceful  willows  and  tall  poplars  that  mirror  the 
added  growth  of  forty  years  in  those  clear  waters. 
The  "Grecian  temple,"  built  by  the  Jesuits,  is  at 
times  occupied  by  a  band  of  music,  whose  strains 
float  softly  over  the  lake.  A  little  pleasure  boat 
rides  on  its  waters.  The  Alameda  Lake,  with  its 
surrounding  streets,  covers  about  six  acres,  and  lies 


256 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRLES 


six  hundred  yards  from  the  principal  plaza,  to  which 
it  is  connected  by  a  beautiful  avenue. 

The  streets  of  the  city  cross  each  other  at  right 
ansfles  and  are  well  shaded  with  trees  ;  each  block 
has  a  frontage  of  six  hundred  Spanish  feet  and 
contains  four  acres.  The  suburbs  west  of  the  lake 
for  some  distance  are  laid  out  in  the  same  way,  and 
devoted  to  fruit  gardens  and  fine  quiiita  residences, 
where  the  families  of  wealthy  citizens  live  during 
the  summer.  The  streets  of  this  suburb  are  also 
beautifully  shaded  with  trees,  an  unusual  circum- 
stance in  a  La  Plata  city.  The  gravelly  soil  of 
Cordoba  renders  street  paving  unnecessary.  The 
sidewalks  are  paved  with  granite  and  marble. 
Everything,  save  only  the  encroachments  of  busi- 
ness, indicates  aesthetic  culture.  Yet  scarce  a  thing 
of  beauty  exists  that  may  not  be  traced  to  the 
Jesuits  and  their  Indian  bondmen.  The  Church  of 
San  Domingo,  of  this  city,  was  the  first  built  by 
them  within  Argentine  limits.  Originally  it  bore  the 
name  of  the  founder  of  the  colony.  The  University 
Church  of  the  order  now  belongs  to  the  National 
Government,  and  is  devoted  to  the  cause  of  popular 
education.  The  bishop's  school,  for  the  education 
of  priests,  is  near  to  the  Jesuits'  college,  not  far  from 
the   cathedral.      Cordoba  is  distinctively  "  the  city 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


257 


of  churches,"  "  the  city  of  savants,"  "  the  Athens 
of  the  Argentine  Republic." 

The  building  of  a  flouring-mill  in  1862,  by  a 
Frenchman,  Monsieur  Victor  Roque,  at  a  cost  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  was  the 
beginning  of  a  new  epoch  in  Cordobese  history 
in  which  manufactures  and  commerce  clasp  hands 
with  intellectual  culture.  At  that  time  flour  was 
worth  four  dollars  per  hundred-weight  in  the  city, 
and  it  cost  half  as  much  to  cart  it  to  Rosario. 

Rio  Cuarto,  on  the  line  of  the  Transandine  Rail- 
way, is  the  second  city  in  size  in  the  Province.  In 
1882  the  National  Government  began  there  the 
erection  of  extensive  works  for  the  manufacture  of 
gunpowder.  Other  villages  are  aspiring  to  the 
dignity  of  towns. 

In  the  Province  of  Santiago  del  Estero  (Saint 
James  of  the  Rivulets)  the  heavy-timbered  plains  of 
tropical  America,  the  prairies  and  the  Cordilleras 
meet.  The  Salado  River,  that  collects  the  water  of 
many  of  the  "  rivulets,"  forms  its  northern  boundary. 
The  navigability  of  this  river  for  eight  hundred  miles 
was  established  by  Lieutenant  Thomas  Page,  com- 
mander of  the  United  States  Scientific  Expedition, 
that  was   engaged  from    1853    to   1856  in  exploring 

the  La   Plata  and   its  tributaries.     In  his  report  of 
r  22* 


258 


LA    PLATA    COUNTRLES 


the  expedition,  Lieutenant  Page  says  of  the  Salado : 
**  It  flows  through  a  country  unequalled  for  pastoral 
and  agricultural  purposes,  and  brings  into  commu- 
nication with  the  Atlantic  some  of  the  richest  and 
most  populous  Provinces, — Santiago  del  Estero, 
Tucuman,  Salta,  and  Jujui."  While  this  is  the  case, 
it  is  equally  true  that,  owing  to  saline  deposits,  large 
tracts  of  the  Province  of  Santiago  are  rendered 
barren;  and,  as  a  whole,  the  Province  is  less  adapted 
to  agriculture  than  any  other  part  of  the  Argen- 
tine Republic  yet  fully  explored.  The  inonte,  or 
thorny  brushwood,  is  in  places  so  dense  that  a  man 
who  would  pass  through  it  must  protect  his  body 
with  a  suit  of  leather.  A  great  part  of  the  Province 
is  still  public  domain.  The  mass  of  the  inhabitants 
show  comparatively  little  admixture  of  European 
blood,  are  among  the  most  industrious  of  Argentine 
citizens,  and  as  little  dependent  on  foreign  im- 
ports. Notwithstanding  the  disappointment  of  the 
Manchester  manufacturers  with  regard  to  wild 
cotton  along  the  Salado,  this  whole  district  is 
admirably  adapted  to  its  culture,  and  the  experi- 
ments made  have  given  a  fibre  of  superior  quality. 
As  yet,  dearth  of  labor  and  cost  of  transportation 
have  been  obstacles  in  the  way  of  its  cultivation  for 
exportation,  but  it  is  raised  for  domestic  use. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  259 

The  women  are  devoted  to  the  loom,  and  from 
native  cotton  provide  the  larger  part  of  the  cotton 
cloth  used  for  the  clothing  of  the  laboring  class. 
The  men  construct  nearly  all  the  carrctas  used  in 
overland  traffic,  but  depend  on  mule-back  trans- 
portation for  their  own  inland  trade.  Cattle  raising 
and  different  branches  of  agriculture  are  also  carried 
on  to  some  extent.  The  spoken  language  is  a  mix- 
ture of  Spanish  and  Quichua.  The  people  live,  to 
a  large  extent,  on  the  fruits  of  the  cactus  and 
algarroba.  As  in  the  other  highland  Provinces,  the 
bread  most  commonly  used  is  made  from  algarroba 
flour,  and  is  called  patcy.  The  algarroba  tree,  which 
is  more  widely  diffused  throughout  the  La  Plata 
countries  than  any  other  tree,  and  is  allied  to  the 
honey  locust  of  North  America,  grows  very  abun- 
dantly in  these  northern  Provinces.  The  pod  has  a 
thick  pulp  with  a  rather  sweetish  taste.  When  ripe 
they  are  gathered  in  large  quantities  and  stacked 
near  the  houses,  and  form  the  principal  aliment  of 
both  man  and  beast.  That  intended  for  bread  is 
protected  from  rain.  The  flour  is  made  by  pound- 
ing the  pods  in  large  wooden  mortars  until  the 
dried  pulp  is  pulverized,  and  passing  it  through  a 
sieve  to  remove  the  seeds.  It  is  a  laborious  em- 
ployment, and  the  flour  sometimes   sells   for  eight 


26o  ^^    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

times  as  much  as  the  pods  from  which  it  could  be 
produced.  The  flour  is  mixed  with  water  and 
pressed  into  cakes  in  wooden  moulds,  and  baked 
in  the  sun.  It  is  then  ready  for  use.  It  keeps  well, 
and  is  exported  in  considerable  quantities  to  the 
Provinces  where  the  tree  does  not  grow  so  abun- 
dantly. It  is  a  convenient  article  of  diet  for  those 
who  accompany  the  caravans  on  their  long  journeys. 
The  algaiToba  pods  are  the  principal  winter  food  of 
stock,  and  are  fed  out  much  as  the  farmer  of  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  United  States  dispenses 
hay  and  corn.  The  passage  in  the  parable  of  the 
Prodigal  Son,  which  in  the  English  version  of  the 
Bible  reads,  "  He  would  fain  have  filled  his  belly 
with  the  husks  which  the  swine  did  eat,"  in  the 
Spanish  translation  is  rendered,  "  He  would  fain 
have  filled  his  belly  with  algarrobas^  which  the 
swine  did  eat,"  and  finds  a  clear  exposition  in  the 
habits  of  these  people. 

The  sugar  of  the  algarroba  is  like  that  of  the 
grape,  and  a  fermented  drink  called  aloja  is  made 
from  the  crushed  pods  by  soaking  them  in  water. 
It  is  the  popular  refreshment  at  social  gatherings. 
The  fruit  of  the  tuna  cactus,  or  prickly  pear,  ranks 
next  after  the  algarroba  in  the  diet  of  the  peasantry. 
The  cactus  attains  the  dimensions  of  a  large,  scraggy 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  26 1 

tree,  and,  where  other  timber  is  not  attainable,  serves 
for  many  mechanical  uses,  and  is  even  sometimes 
used  as  props  in  mines.  The  common  English 
name  "  prickly  pear,"  or  "  pear  of  Algiers,"  is  taken 
from  the  shape  of  its  fruit,  which  is  of  a  rather 
coarse  texture  and  very  sweet.  A  preserve  is  made 
from  it  that  finds  a  ready  market  in  the  coast  cities 
and  in  Chili,  and  is  greatly  in  demand  throughout 
these  Provinces. 

The  cochineal  insect  lives  on  the  cactus,  and, 
with  it,  is  indigenous  throughout  the  La  Plata 
basin.  In  Santiago  and  Tucuman  the  insect  is  gath- 
ered, pulverized  in  mortars,  mixed  with  water,  and 
made  into  small  cakes  that  are  dried  in  the  sun 
and  sold  under  the  name  of  grano.  The  cultivation 
of  the  cactus  for  the  sake  of  the  insect  has  not  yet 
received  attention. 

The  Province  of  Tucuman  is  pre-eminently  "the 
garden  of  the  Argentine  Republic."  The  city  of 
Tucuman  was  founded  in  1565  by  one  of  the  com- 
panions of  Pizarro,  and  was  the  first  capital  of  the 
Intcndencia  of  the  same  name,  which  extended  from 
the  Andes  to  the  Paraguay  River.  Very  properly 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  made  in  18 16 
by  the  Congress  representing  the  several  Provinces 
of  the  viceroyalty   that   had    grown   out  of  it,  was 


262  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

promulgated  from  this  ancient  capital.  The  portion 
of  the  old  Intendencia  which  still  bears  the  name 
of  the  Inca  chief,  Tucu  Ammu,  is  the  smallest  and 
most  thoroughly  cultivated  of  the  Argentine  Prov- 
inces, and  the  only  one  in  which  there  are  no  public 
lands.  Its  well-kept  fields  are  enclosed  by  neat 
cactus  hedges.  By  this  it  is  not  intended  to  convey 
the  idea  that  all  the  land  is  cultivated  by  the  indus- 
trious descendants  of  the  Inca  peasantry,  but  that 
a  larger  proportion  of  it  is  under  cultivation  than 
in  any  other  Province. 

Sugar-cane  heads  the  list  of  its  cultivated  crops, 
and  is  followed  by  maize,  wheat,  rice,  tobacco, 
peanuts,  and  many  others.  It  was  the  first  Province 
to  introduce  the  cultivation  of  the  cane.  The 
variety  grown  is  perennial  and  of  good  quality. 
Ten  years  ago  it  was  stripped  in  the  fields  and 
hauled  in  bullock  carts  only  to  rude  mills  of  do- 
mestic construction.  Now  much  of  the  machin- 
ery used  is  of  the  best  French  manufacture.  In 
1 88 1  its  sugar  interests  represented  a  value  of 
;^900,ooo,  and  in  1883  they  had  increased  to 
;^ 1 6,000,000.  There  were  then  175,000  acres  of 
cane.  The  industry  has  also  spread  into  the  ad- 
joining Provinces,  but  the  yield  of  the  whole  region 
is  known  as  Tucuman  sugar.     The  most  desirable 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


263 


quality  is  a  light  brown  granulated  sugar.  It  is 
preferred  in  the  cities  of  the  litoral  to  the  Brazilian 
brands.  The  whole  Argentine  sugar  crop  of  1882 
was  25,606,429  pounds.  The  Republic  now  pro- 
duces about  one-half  of  the  amount  it  consumes. 

By  the  census  of  1882  the  population  of  the 
Province  was  24,237. 

Tucuman  had  the  honor  of  giving  its  third 
President  to  the  reconstructed  Republic. 


;64 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE   HIGHLAND   PROVINCES. 

The  four  Provinces,  Rioja,  Catamarca,  Salta,  and 
Jujui,  lie  wholly  in  the  highlands.  Only  in  the 
eastern  part  of  Salta  do  they  unite  with  the  plains. 

As  the  precious  metals  were  the  onl}^  natural  re- 
sources valued  by  the  conquerors  during  colonial 
times,  the  highlands  were  regarded  as  the  important 
part  of  what  is  now  the  Argentine  Republic.  The 
ports  of  the  La  Plata  and  intermediate  cities  were 
only  depots  of  supply  and  trading  posts  on  the  route 
to  the  rich  mining  regions  of  the  interior.  During 
the  long  war  for  independence,  when  it  was  contin- 
ually the  theatre  of  the  most  thrilling  deeds  of  patri- 
otic heroism,  it  suffered  a  correspondingly  greater 
devastation ;  and  when  the  years  of  anarchy  that 
followed  the  war  of  independence  had  passed,  the 
old  civilization  and  wealth  of  the  interior  was  almost 
wholly  destroyed,  and  its  mining  interests  in  a  state 
of  utter  stagnation.     Its  distance  from  the  seaboard 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


265 


and  want  of  means  of  transportation  was  a  serious 
barrier  against  a  speedy  recuperation.  But  the  pass- 
ing years  have  brought  returning  prosperity. 

The  district  is  traversed  by  nearly  parallel  ranges 
of  mountains,  each  increasing  in  height  till  they 
reach  the  Andes  proper,  of  which  they  are  the 
gradual  approach.  The  valleys  between  them  are 
the  most  accessible  routes  to  the  Bolivian  plateau. 
The  western  sides  of  these  cordilleras  are  abrupt, 
often  presenting  faces  of  bare  rock,  while  their  east- 
ern slopes  are  more  gentle  and  in  parts  covered 
with  vegetation.  The  valleys  are  fertile,  and  pro- 
duce subtropical  plants  in  luxuriance.  The  bananas 
of  Salta,  it  is  claimed,  are  better  than  those  of 
Brazil,  and  its  coffee  is  of  very  superior  quality. 
The  grape  flourishes  throughout  the  district,  and 
even  the  lower  mountain  slopes  offer  it  a  congenial 
climate.  In  1881  Catamarca  produced  one  million 
two  hundred  thousand  gallons  of  wine,  valued  at 
one  hundred  and  eight  thousand  dollars,  or  nine 
cents  per  gallon. 

The  term  fruit  culture  may  perhaps  be  regarded 
as  a  misnomer  where  no  further  attention  is  given 
to  the  spontaneous  outpourings  of  a  bountiful  soil 
than  to  gather  the  ripe  wild  fruits;  but  fruit  drying 
is    an    industry   that    employs    the    hands   of   many 

M  23 


266  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

women  and  children  in  the  valleys  of  the  highlands 
proper,  as  well  as  in  the  *''  garden"  of  Argentina. 
Prunes,  peaches,  figs,  and  other  spontaneous  fruits 
are  dried  on  scaffolds  in  the  sun  and  find  their 
market  in  the  southern  cities  and  in  Chili.  Raisins 
are  also  shipped  to  Chili  in  considerable  quantities. 
The  peach  tree  is  not  indigenous  to  this  section,  but 
was  introduced  from  Chili,  and  now  large  forests  of 
it  grow  wild.  Oranges,  lemons,  limes,  and  bananas 
are  too  perishable  to  be  a  source  of  income  with 
the  existing  means  of  transportation,  except  as  they 
can  be  converted  into  diilce^  or  preserves ;  and  for 
this  the  fruit  of  the  palm,  cactus,  and  wild  quince 
are  more  generally  employed.  The  steeper  moun- 
tain sides  afford  a  theatre  for  more  rugged  indus- 
tries, and  in  Catamarca  "Alpine  milk  farming"  has 
long  been  carried  on,  and  the  cheese  of  the  district 
has  acquired  a  flattering  celebrity. 

Tingonasta,  the  western  Department  of  Cata- 
marca, lies  wholly  in  the  rugged  chain  of  the  An- 
des, and  through  it  the  Tingonasta  Pass  leads  over 
to  Chili  and  connects  the  northern  towns  of  the 
Argentine  Republic  with  Copiapo,  and  thence  by 
railroad  with  the  port  of  Caldera  on  the  Pacific.  It 
is  through  this  pass  that  the  transandine  branch  of 
the  North  Central  Argentine  Railroad  has  been  pro- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


267 


jected,  and  by  which  the  proposed  Gran  Chaco 
Railroad  anticipates  connecting  the  mouth  of  the 
Paraguay  River  with  the  Pacific. 

The  inhabitants  of  these  Provinces  have  always 
been  more  independent  of  foreign  manufactures  than 
those  of  the  litoral.  Laces  and  embroideries  made 
by  the  women  are  in  common  use  and  more  than 
supply  the  home  demand.  The  women  also  weave 
nearly  all  the  cotton  and  woollen  cloths  used  for 
common  clothing;  also  blankets,  rugs,  chirapas,  and 
ponclios.  In  some  districts  a  loom  is  a  part  of  the 
furniture  of  almost  every  house.  Shawls  and  pon- 
clios made  by  the  women  of  Catamarca  from  vicufia 
wool  show  the  most  patient  painstaking.  The  De- 
partment of  Andagala  is  especially  noted  for  this 
manufacture. 

The  vicuna,  valued  for  its  long  wool  almost  re- 
sembling silk,  is  the  smallest  species  of  the  llama  or 
American  camel,  and  is  about  two  and  a  half  feet 
high  at  the  shoulders.  All  attempts  to  domesticate 
it  have  failed,  and  it  is  hunted  for  its  fleece  among 
the  rugged  steeps  of  its  native  mountains.  The 
wool  on  its  back  is  a  dark  yellowish  brown  shading 
down  through  brownish  yellow  on  the  sides  to  a 
pale  yellow,  almost  white,  on  the  under  part  of  the 
body.     The  filaments  of  these  several  natural  shades 


268  J-A   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

are  carefully  separated  by  hand,  and  twisted  into 
threads  by  a  spindle  held  between  the  thumb  and 
finger,  and  woven  Into  stripes  shading  from  the 
darkest  to  the  lightest  tints.  The  fabrics  are  soft, 
warm,  light,  impervious  to  water,  and  pleasing  to 
the  eye.  They  probably  differ  little  from  the  royal 
clothing  of  the  Inca,  made  from  the  same  wool  by 
the  same  method.  (The  vicufia  wool  was  reserved 
for  the  use  of  the  royal  family  under  the  Inca 
dynasty,  and  hence  the  animal  that  produced  it  was 
the  royal  animal.)  A  lady's  scarf  of  pure  vicufia 
wool,  made  in  Catamarca,  sells  for  from  one  hun- 
dred to  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  Ponchos 
made  from  it  are  comparatively  rare,  being  super- 
seded by  imitations  made  from  the  wool  of  the 
sheep.  The  vicuna  wool  was  for  a  time  a  con- 
siderable article  of  export  to  Europe,  where  it  is 
known  as  vigonia  wool.  Owing  to  the  great  de- 
mand for  it,  the  animals  were  ruthlessly  hunted  and 
slaughtered  for  their  fleece,  until  the  scarcity  of  the 
wool  called  the  attention  of  the  authorities  to  the 
danger  of  their  extermination,  and  protective  laws 
were  enacted.  The  guanaco,  from  which  comes  the 
domesticated  llama,  is  also  a  denizen  of  the  Argen- 
tine highlands.  It  is  about  a  foot  higher  than  the 
vicuna,  and  its  long,  silky  wool  hair  is  scarcely  less 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


269 


prized.  The  guanaca  haunts  the  Andean  Cordilleras 
at  from  eight  thousand  to  twelve  thousand  feet 
elevation,  from  Peru  to  Patagonia.  Pizarro  and  his 
followers  were  astonished  on  seeing  great  droves 
of  them  domesticated  under  the  Incas  and  guarded 
by  shepherds  as  were  the  flocks  in  Spain.  They 
were  then  the  beast  of  burden  of  the  Andes,  and 
long  caravans  of  them  traversed  the  mountain 
defiles  connecting  the  various  parts  of  the  empire, 
carrying  loads  of  merchandise  of  about  fifty  pounds' 
weight  on  their  backs.  The  conquerors  hence  called 
them  llaniitas  (little  camels).  The  mule  has  suc- 
ceeded them  as  the  Andean  burden  bearer. 

Although  wheat,  maize,  mandioco,  and  a  great 
variety  of  other  crops  are  grown  for  local  consump- 
tion and  might  easily  afford  subsistence  to  a  popula- 
tion many  times  more  dense  than  now  exists  there, 
the  mineral  resources  of  these  Provinces  are  their 
great  wealth,  and,  as  was  the  case  two  centuries  ago, 
the  mining  interests  are  regarded  as  of  paramount 
importance.  Gold,  silver,  copper,  tin,  bismuth,  iron, 
platinum,  and  other  metals  are  found  in  many  local- 
ities, and  the  whole  Argentine  Cordilleras  seem  to 
be  charged  with  metallic  wealth  only  awaiting  fx- 
ploitatio7i.     The  mountain  ranges  of  Rioja  and  Cata- 

marca  are  especially  rich  in  gold,  silver,  and  copper. 

23^ 


2'jo  LA   PLATA    COUNTRLES 

The  gold  is  usually  found  in  placers  and  the  silver 
in  veins.  The  Famatima  is  the  most  noted  mining 
district  of  the  Republic.  It  extends  from  25°  to  30° 
south  latitude,  and  has  a  width  of  about  2°.  It  is 
claimed  that  the  famous  wealth  of  the  Aragonese 
was  taken  from  the  Caldera  mines  of  this  district. 
Twenty  years  ago,  the  British  consul  at  Buenos 
Ayres  wrote  to  his  countrymen :  "  The  district  is  so 
extensive  and  so  extraordinarily  metalliferous  that 
erratic  miners,  working  on  the  surface,  which  is 
traversed  at  every  angle  and  in  every  possible  direc- 
tion by  hundreds  of  virgin  lodes,  extract  ores  of 
such  richness  that  the  annual  product  thus  obtained 
equals  eighty  thousand  dollars.  An  equal  amount 
is  obtained  from  other  mines  in  the  same  manner  of 
working."  This  remark  illustrates  at  the  same  time 
the  nature  of  the  district  and  the  Argentine  mining 
law,  by  which  mineral  treasure  belongs  to  the  finder, 
provided  he  works  his  claim.  If  he  fail  to  do  this, 
with  at  least  two  men,  for  ninety  consecutive  days, 
he  forfeits  his  right,  and  any  one  who  knows  of 
the  failure  may  report  it  and  claim  the  mine  for 
himself. 

The  rich  mines  of  the  Nevada  Famatima  are  on 
the  eastern  and  southeastern  slopes.  On  account 
of  their  great  elevation  and  the  consequent  rarefac- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  2/1 

tlon  of  the  air  and  the  excessive  cold,  they  can  be 
worked  only  by  miners  native  to  these  regions. 
The  securing  of  their  treasures  is  rendered  yet  more 
difficult  by  the  percolation  of  water,  for  removing 
which  there  are  no  adequate  appliances.  The  at- 
tempt to  carry  it  out  in  leather  bags  sometimes  has 
been  made,  but  with  indifferent  success.  Want  of 
fuel  is  another  disadvantage  against  which  the 
mining  interests  have  had  to  contend.  To  some 
of  the  richest  mines  it  must  be  carried  on  mule- 
back  long  distances. 

The  Mexicana  mine  in  the  Famatima  district, 
twelve  thousand  feet  above  sea  level,  is  the  highest 
as  well  as  one  of  the  richest  known  worked  mines. 
There,  "  the  miner,  who  lives  in  a  badly-lighted  little 
hut  above  the  clouds,  passes  a  life  of  privation  and 
misery,  complicated  by  dangers  without  number. 
Around  and  above  him  all  verdure  has  disappeared. 
He  can  only  perceive  three  colors :  at  his  feet,  the 
clouds  resembling  a  whitish-gray  mist,  a  hazy  ocean 
from  whence  emerge  the  peaks  of  the  mountains  ; 
before  him,  the  white  plains  of  the  eternal  snow, 
and  above  him  an  invariably  pure  sky  of  a  deep- 
blue  color.  The  only  animals — save  the  dog — which 
have  followed  man  to  these  stormy  regions  are  a 
bird  and  a  small  rat,  both  of  a  grayish  color." 


2^2  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

According  to  the  official  report,  the  minerals  pro- 
duced in  the  Argentine  Republic  in  1882  were: 

Gold  dust  .         .         .         .         .         .         .  ^6,146 

Silver 227,440 

Silver  ore .  38,091 

Copper  in  bars 125,759 

Tin 85,129 

Copper  ore 21,728 

Lead  ore 10,398 

Lead  in  pigs       .         .         .         .         .         .  4>833 

Other  minerals  .         .          .         .         .         .  48,717 

Total $568,591 

This  was  a  gain  of  ;^  165,828  over  the  preceding 
year. 

In  1883  a  thorough  examination  of  the  Famatima 
district  was  made  under  the  direction  of  a  British 
engineer,  who  confirmed  the  opinion  that  the  region 
is  a  vast  field  for  mining  industries,  and  that  the 
sierras  are  very  rich  in  silver  and  gold,  and  that  the 
region  of  the  copper  mines  of  Catamarca  is  also 
very  rich.  New  mining  machinery  has  been  intro- 
duced, and  "  the  result  has  been  highly  satisfactory." 

To  encourage  the  development  of  the  mineral 
resources,  a  national  School  of  Mining  and  Practical 
Engineering  was  established  in  1884. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


273 


Less  has  heretofore  been  known  of  the  pecuhar 
resources  of  Jujui  than  of  any  other  Province,  but 
late  explorations  show  that  it  has  very  remarkable 
deposits  of  mineral  oils.  It  is  claimed  that  through- 
out its  whole  extent  "  there  are  lakes  of  oil  covered 
with  liquid  like  pitch ;  also  bituminous  rocks  which 
burn  like  stove  coal,  and  valleys  full  of  a  sub- 
stance resembling  pitch  or  having  the  appearance 
of  asphalt,  and  springs  from  which  flow  oil  instead 
of  water."  The  largest  lake  discovered  covers  an 
"area  of  about  eighty-eight  acres  and  is  of  un- 
known depth,  covered  with  a  cap  of  naphtha.  The 
liquid  is  somewhat  thick,  of  black  color,  and  with- 
out disagreeable  odor.  The  analysis  of  the  crude 
liquid  compares  favorably  with  the  crude  oil  from 
Pennsylvania  and  other  oil  regions.  The  rectified 
petroleum  from  it  is  colorless,  and  pronounced  equal 
to  the  best  received  from  the  United  States.  It  will 
not  inflame  below  55°  Centigrade." 

Dr.  Luis  Brackenbusch,  a  distinguished  German 
scientist,  who  is  now  professor  of  geology  in  the 
University  of  Cordoba,  made  a  thorough  examina- 
tion of  this  remarkable  region  in  1882  and  1883, 
and  prepared  a  map  of  it.  He  reported  that  "  There 
exists  a  subterranean  river  of  liquid  kerosene,  whose 
depth  it  is  not  yet  possible  to  determine  with  pre- 


2^4  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

cision,  and  which  it  will  be  necessary  to  learn  by 
means  of  perforations.  According  to  his  experi- 
ments, these  deposits  contain  about  twenty-five  per 
cent,  of  mineral  oil,  and  in  some  places  the  liquid 
that  flows  from  them  contains  thirty-five  per  cent,  of 
pure  kerosene.  A  company,  with  a  concession  from 
the  provincial  government  of  Jujui  for  twenty  years, 
has  been  organized  to  develop  this  immense  petro- 
leum resource."  * 

*  E,  L.  Baker,  United  States  consul  at  Buenos  Ayres. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


275 


CHAPTER    XVII  I. 

THE   NATIONAL    TERRITORIES. 

Among  the  multitude  of  interests  that  have  de- 
manded the  thought  of  Argentine  legislators,  how- 
to  reclaim,  govern,  develop,  and  dispose  of  the 
public  lands  has  been  a  subject  of  frequent  consid- 
eration. Except  the  part  of  the  Mesopotamia  al- 
ready described  as  the  Territory  of  Misiones,  these 
public  lands  consist  of  a  vast  and  heretofore  almost 
unknown  district,  extending  northward  from  the 
frontier  of  Santa  Fe  to  the  Bolivian  boundary, 
known  as  El  Gran  Chaco  (an  Indian  name,  sig- 
nifying tJic  great  JiuJiting  ground),  and  another  vast 
area  south  of  the  Cuyo  district,  known  by  the  gen- 
eral term  Pampas,  and  the  Patagonian  peninsula. 

The  treaties  of  limits  made  with  Chili,  Bolivia, 
and  Paraguay  removed  all  doubts  as  to  the  right 
of  jurisdiction,  and  at  each  subsequent  session  of 
the  National  Congress  the  subject  of  territories  has 
been  presented.     In   1883  the  deliberations  on  that 


276 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


subject  culminated  in  the  passage  of  the  Territor- 
ies Bill  (alluded  to  in  Chapter  XIV.),  providing 
for  the  survey,  division,  and  sale  of  public  lands, 
and  fixing  the  price  of  those  in  Gran  Chaco  and 
Misiones  at  two  dollars,  and  those  of  the  pampas 
and  Patagonia  at  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  per 
square  hectacre. 

Various  propositions  had  been  made  from  time 
to  time  relating  to  subdividing  the  public  lands  for 
the  purpose  of  making  it  easier  to  govern  them,  and 
maps  were  published  and  popularly  accepted  giving 
such  subdivisions.  On  the  passage  of  the  Terri- 
tories Bill  a  committee  was  appointed  to  make  a 
report  on  this  subject,  and  the  Congress  of  1884 
approved  of  the  report,  which  provides  for  the 
division  of  the  public  domain  as  follows  : 

"  I.  Territory  of  the  Pampa.  Bounded  north  by 
the  35°  parallel,  which  separates  it  from  the  Prov- 
inces of  Mendoza,  San  Luis,  Cordoba,  and  Santa 
Fe ;  east  by  Province  of  Buenos  Ayres ;  west  by 
Province  of  Mendoza  and  the  Cplorado  River;  south 
by  the  Colorado  River. 

"  II.  Territory  of  Neuguen.  Bounded  north  by 
the  Province  of  Mendoza,  and  along  the  river  Bar- 
rancas and  continuation  of  the  Colorado ;  east  by 
the  river  Neuguen  to  its  confluence  with  the  river 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


277 


Limai ;  south  by  the  river  LImai  to  Lake  Nahuel 
Huapi  ;  west  by  Chilian  boundary  Hne. 

"  III.  Territory  of  Rio  Negro.  Bounded  north 
by  the  Colorado  River;  east  by  fifth  meridian  to 
the  Rio  Negro  ;  thence  along  this  river  to  the  At- 
lantic ;  south  by  42°  parallel ;  vilest  by  Chili,  the 
river  Limai,  and  the  river  Neuguen. 

"  IV.  Territory  of  Chubut.*  Bounded  north  by 
42°  parallel;  east  by  the  Atlantic;  south  by  the  46° 
parallel ;  west  by  Chili. 

"  V.  Territory  of  Santa  Cruz.  Bounded  north 
by  46°  parallel ;  east  by  the  Atlantic ;  south  by  the 
52°  parallel,  and  following  the  Chilian  boundary; 
west  by  Chili. 

*'  VI.  Territory  of  Tierra  del  Fuego.  Bounded 
north  by  the  Straits  of  Magellan ;  east  by  the  At- 
lantic; west  by  Chilian  boundary;  and  includes  Los 
Estados  Islands. 

"VII.  Territory  of  Misiones,  Bounded  north  by 
the  Parana  River ;  east  by  the  Iguazu ;  south  by  the 
Uruguay ;  west  by  Province  of  Corrientes. 

"VIII.  Territory   of  Formoso    (on    former    maps 


*  This  name  is  sometimes  spelled  Chupat.  I  have  followed  tlie 
orthography  of  the  geographies  used  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
Republic. 

24 


2^78  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

marked  Bermejo).  Bounded  north  by  Pilcomayo 
River  to  the  Bolivian  boundary ;  east  by  the  Para- 
guay River;  south  by  the  Bermejo;  west  by  the 
Bermejo  up  to  the  Teuco  River. 

"  IX.  Territory  of  Gran  Chaco.  Bounded  north 
by  the  Bermejo  River;  east  by  the  Parana  and 
Paraguay  Rivers ;  south  by  29°  parallel ;  west  by 
line  from  Tostado  to  Las  Barrancas  on  the  Salado; 
thence  a  straight  line  to  the  branch  of  the  Teuco, 
through  the  old  Carreta  Quemada  fort  on  the 
branch  of  the  Bermejo." 

Previous  to  this  subterritorial  division  a  number 
of  agricultural  settlements  had  been  established  in 
the  Gran  Chaco  along  the  course  of  the  Parana  and 
Paraguay  Rivers,  and  Formoso,  on  the  Paraguay 
River,  one  hundred  miles  north  of  Asuncion,  had 
been  made  the  capital.  It  remains  the  capital  of 
the  new-formed  Territory  of  that  name.  The  cut- 
ting of  timber  has  already  become  a  considerable 
industry  in  those  northern  settlements.  Several  ex- 
peditions have  been  sent  out  to  explore  the  inte- 
rior of  the  Great  Hunting  Ground,  but  up  to  the 
passage  of  that  bill  all  had  ended  in  disaster.  It 
is  estimated  that  there  are  forty-five  thousand  In- 
dians in  the  Gran  Chaco.  These  are  divided  into 
many  tribes.     While  some  show  a  friendly  dispo- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


279 


sition  towards  the  settlers,  others  manifest  a  deter- 
mined hostih'ty  to  the  aggressive  disposition  of  the 
whites.  How  close  may  be  the  relationship  of  the 
Argentine  Chaco  Indians  with  those  of  Bolivia  and 
Paraguay  can  only  be  conjectured.  Whether  there 
be  a  better  way  of  reclaiming  them  than  by  military 
force  is  a  subject  that  has  engaged  some  thought 
among  Argentine  philanthropists,  and  some  recent 
attempts  have  been  made  by  the  National  Church 
to  establish  missions  among  them,  modelled  after 
those  of  the  Jesuits  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
These  also  have  failed,  because,  as  President  Avel- 
lenada  expressed  it,  "  The  Indians  of  our  day  do 
not  seem  inclined  to  become  the  willing  vassals  of 
spiritual  rulers."  As  a  more  effectual  means,  the 
Congress  of  1883  appropriated  the  sum  of  five  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  for  an  armed  expedition  to 
open  roads  through  the  Chaco,  dig  wells  and  estab- 
lish military  posts,  and  cover  the  whole  Bolivian 
boundary;  to  select  locations  for  colonies,  test  the 
navigability  of  the  Bermejo  River,  and  do  every- 
thing necessary  to  prepare  the  way  for  civilization. 
When  the  expedition  left  Buenos  Ayres,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1884,  under  the  command  of  the  minister  of 
war,  President  Roca  accompanied  it  to  the  head  of 
the  Catalinas  mole,  where  it  embarked,  and  on  part- 


28o  ^^    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

ing  with  General  Victorica,  said,  "  I  wish  you,  gen- 
eral, the  best  of  good  health  and  good  luck  in  your 
expedition,  and  hope  that  by  next  New  Year's  day 
we  will  be  able  to  present  our  country  with  twelve 
thousand  leagues  of  fertile  land.  The  Chaco  which 
you  go  to  conquer  will  yet  prove  a  magnificent 
region,  not  alone  for  the  Republic,  but  for  civiliza- 
tion." The  next  issue  of  the  Buejios  Ayres  Standard 
expressed  the  belief  that  it  could  find  customers  for 
ten  thousand  square  leagues  at  four  hundred  dollars 
per  league.  As  a  warm  climate  is  not  likely  to 
attract  any  large  proportion  of  the  immigration  from 
Northern  Europe,  the  probability  is  that  when  the 
Gran  Chaco  is  settled  it  will  be  principally  from  the 
countries  of  the  Mediterranean. 

One  of  the  first  experiments  at  colonization  made 
by  the  National  Government,  and  the  first  made  in 
the  Patagonian  peninsula,  was  at  Carmen  de  Pata- 
gones,  for  some  time  the  military  outpost  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Rio  Negro.  In  latitude  it  nearly 
corresponds  with  the  city  of  New  York.  Above 
this  point  the  Indians  of  the  pampas — estimated 
at  twenty-four  thousand — had  in  some  degree  be- 
come allies,  if  not  subjects,  of  the  government,  and 
many  of  them  engaged  in  military  service.  Others 
maintained  friendly  relations  with  the  estanceros  of 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  28 1 

the  Province  of  Buenos  Ayres.  Below  this  point  the 
savage  was  still  a  terror  to  the  pale  face.  The 
number  of  Patagonian  Indians  is  estimated  at 
twenty-five  thousand. 

Wheat  culture  was  introduced  and  shared  with 
the  care  of  cattle  in  the  attention  of  the  colonists 
with  such  happy  results  that  farms  and  estancias 
have  extended  up  the  Rio  Negro  valley. 

Later,  a  colony  was  planted  in  the  district  of 
Viedma,  south  of  the  Rio  Negro.  It  now  has 
3700  inhabitants,  with  nearly  six  hundred  children 
attending  school,  30,000  acres  in  cultivation,  and 
20,000  cows,  150,000  sheep,  6500  horses,  and  2700 
hogs.  In  1883  its  exports  to  Buenos  Ayres 
amounted  to  a  little  over  ;^700.  The  imports  were 
a  trifle  in  excess  of  exports.  A  line  of  small 
steamers  make  regular  trips  several  hundred  miles 
up  the  Rio  Negro,  and  there  is  a  proposition  to 
bind  the  colonies  of  the  Rio  Negro  to  the  national 
heart  by  a  railroad  from  Bahia  Blanca  to  Carmen 
de  Patagones. 

The  next  experiment  to  the  southward  was  the 
planting  of  a  Welsh  colony  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Chubut  River.  This  was  attended  with  consider- 
able  expense   to   the  government.      As  is   usual   in 

pioneer   settlements  the   colony  encountered   many 

24* 


282  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES. 

discouragements,  owing,  chiefly,  to  its  isolation,  its 
remoteness  from  its  base  of  supplies,  and  the  in- 
frequency  and  uncertainty  of  communication  be- 
tween the  port  of  Chubut  and  Buenos  Ayres  ;  and 
there  were  not  wanting  those  who  prophesied  its 
final  extinction.  But  perseverance  has  proved  better 
than  prophecy,  and  for  several  years  the  colony  of 
Chubut  has  been  an  inspiration  to  the  hand  that 
fostered  it.  Its  exports  in  1882  consisted  of  wheat, 
wool,  ostrich  feathers,  guanaco  skins,  ostrich  robes, 
and  sundry  other  articles,  amounting  in  all  to 
forty-one  thousand  dollars.  The  Chubut  River, 
which  flows  through  the  colony,  overflows  "its  banks, 
and  the  colonists  depend  on  this  for  irrigation.  The 
town  of  Chubut  has  a  population  of  twelve  hundred 
and'  eighty-six.  The  proposition  to  connect  it  with 
the  excellent  harbor  at  Golfo  Nuevo  (New  Gulf)  by 
a  railroad  thirty  miles  long  will  probably  be  carried 
into  effect  soon. 

In  1883  another  colony  was  established  farther 
down  the  coast  at  Puerto  Deseado  (Port  Desire), 
in  what  is  now  the  Territory  of  Chubut,  and 
another  in  the  Territory  of  Santa  Cruz,  near  the 
coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Santa  Cruz.  A  supply  of 
sheep  and  horses  were  taken  to  these  new  colonies. 
At   Santa   Cruz,   the   most   southern   point   of   the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


283 


continent   yet   occupied   by   colonists,   the   mercury 
in  winter  does  not  fall   below   15°   Fahrenheit. 

By  actual  exploration  it  is  now  ascertained  that, 
instead  of  the  bleak  plain,  as  was  formerly  sup- 
posed, "  the  southern  part  of  Patagonia  is  varied 
by  considerable  elevations,  deep  cafions,  low,  deep 
glens,  and  wide  valleys  rich  with  natural  grasses, 
and  that  the  whole  region  between  the  Chubut  and 
Tapley  Rivers  unite  the  conditions  of  great  fertility, 
great  mineral  wealth,  and  a  climate  that  admirably 
fits  it  for  settlement.  Between  the  Sangar  River 
and  the  Atlantic,  although  not  so  rich  as  the  former, 
yet  has  wide  breadths  of  good  pasture  land,  fertile 
valleys,  and  never-failing  waters,  capable  of  holding 
thousands  of  horned  cattle  and  horses ;  and  the 
same,  to  a  less  extent,  may  be  said  of  the  region 
around  Puerto  Deseado.  Hills  of  moderate  height 
alternate    with    canons    and    valleys    of    excellent 


grasses." 


Recent  explorations  have  also  revealed  the  pleas- 
ant truth  that  the  region  at  the  base  of  the  Andes 
is  "  made  up  of  meadows  and  rich  valleys,"  and 
within  the  past  two  years  colonies  have  been  planted 
in  the  Territory  of  Neuguen,  under  the  shadow  of 
the  great  mountains,  with  every  probability  of  a 
bright  future. 


284  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

Thus  it  appears  that  Patagonia,  that  "  bleak  and 
uninhabitable  region,"  is  going  into  oblivion  in  com- 
pany with  the  "  Great  American  Desert"  that  forty 
years  ago  was  almost  the  only  geographical  cer- 
tainty of  the  United  States  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. 

A  colony  was  also  established  on  the  island  of 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  in  1883,  as  the  capital  of  the  Ter- 
ritory of  Tierra  del  Fuego. 

For  the  convenience,  and  to  insure  the  perma- 
nence of  the  several  colonies  along  the  Patagonian 
coast,  the  National  Government  has  entered  into  a 
contract  with  a  company  to  run  a  line  of  steamers 
down  the  coast  from  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres  to 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  calling  regularly  at  all  intermediate 
points.  The  contract  is  made  for  twelve  years,  and 
costs  the  government  thirty  thousand  dollars  per 
month. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA, 


285 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


THE  ARMY  AND  NAVY. 


A  SENSE  of  the  security  of  life  and  property  is 
essential  to  material  prosperity.  No  people  will 
continue  in  the  practices  of  industry  and  frugality 
unless  reasonably  certain  that  what  they  may  ac- 
cumulate is  likely  to  promote  their  own  welfare. 
The  lack  of  such  assurance  was  one  of  the  condi- 
tions that  barred  industrial  enterprises  from  the 
Spanish  La  Plata  during  its  half-century  of  transi- 
tion from  colonial  dependence  to  national  individu- 
ality. That  anew  impulse  has  been  given  to  local 
'industries  is  an  added  proof,  on  the  one  hand,  that 
the  people  feel  confidence  in  the  protecting  arm  of 
the  nation,  and  on  the  other,  that  their  increasing 
numbers  give  confidence  that  they  can  control  the 
protecting  arm.  For  a  people  with  such  a  military 
record,  the  rather  modest  summary  of  the  nation's 
ability  for  self-protection  is  thus  stated :  "  Army — 
3500    infantry;    2474    cavalry;    815    artillery;    with 


286  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

4  lieutenant-generals,  14  generals  of  divisions,  50 
colonels,  127  lieutenant-colonels,  142  majors,  and 
742  officers  of  other  grades.  This  synopsis  gives 
6  men  to  each  of  811  officers,  and  five  apiece  to 
each  of  the  remaining  169  officers,  and  may  recall 
the  statement  jocosely  current  after  the  civil  war  in 
the  United  States, — that  no  one  of  less  rank  than  a 
lieutenant  served  in  it.  But  "  things  are  not  al- 
ways what  they  seem,"  and  there  is  more  in  this 
military  synopsis  of  the  Argentine  nation  than  at 
first  appears.  The  word  army  includes  two  distinct 
classes  of  men, — the  Army  of  the  Line  and  the  Na- 
tional  Guard.  Only  the  former  is  given  in  the 
statistical  summary.  The  National  Guard  include 
every  able-bodied  male  Argentine  citizen  between 
the  ages  of  seventeen  and  forty-five  years ;  and  all, 
or  any  part  of  these,  may  be  called  into  active  ser- 
vice whenever  required.  When  so  called  into  ser- 
vice they  are  equipped  the  same  as  the  Army  of* 
the  Line.  By  the  estimates  of  1883,  the  National 
Guard  numbered  315,850,  which,  if  called  into 
service  at  once  and  no  additional  officers  created, 
would  give  330  men  to  each  of  446  officers,  and  329 
to  each  of  the  remaining  533  officers.  Or,  it  would 
give  to  each  colonel  a  regiment  of  6450  men,  with  a 
few  left  for  messengers.     When  the  National  Guard 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


287 


are  called  into  service,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Army 
of  the  Line  "to  serve  as  a  stimulus  and  model"  for 
them.  To  prepare  them  for  this  and  the  duty  of 
officers,  the  government  has  provided  a  military 
academy  with  fourteen  teachers,  and  a  school  for 
non-commissioned  officers  with  six  teachers.  In 
1883  there  were  127  pupils  in  the  former  and  68  in 
the  latter. 

"  In  time  of  peace  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Army  of 
the  Line  to  defend  the  frontier  from  depredations  of 
the  Indians,  to  garrison  distant  and  sparsely-settled 
points,  and  to  maintain  internal  order." 

The  first  of  these  specifications  is  effected  by  what 
is  called  a  military  cordon,  or  a  line  of  connected 
military  posts,  each  with  a  few  soldiers  under  their 
appropriate  officers ;  all  of  which  are  subordinate  to 
a  central  post  more  strongly  garrisoned.  The  few 
men  stationed  at  the  intermediate  points  are  sup- 
posed to  reconnoitre  daily  the  length  assigned  them, 
as  policemen  travel  their  beat,  to  see  that  no  depre- 
dating bands  have  crossed  their  line.  If  tracks  in 
the  soil  show  that  a  greater  number  have  crossed 
than  they  think  they  can  manage,  the  other  detach- 
ments are  notified  and  the  raiders  are  either  pursued 
or  taken  on  their  return  with  their  booty.  The 
military  have  not  the  reputation  of  being  more  alert 


288  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

in  these  raids  than  their  watchful  foes.  The  cordon 
is  moved  outward  as  the  Indians  are  subdued  or 
held  in  check.  Previous  to  1868  it  was  close  upon 
the  Cuyo  Provinces  and  along  the  southern  border 
of  Buenos  Ayres.  In  1882  it  was  along  the  Chubut 
and  Rio  Negro  Rivers,  the  chief  post  being  at  Car- 
men de  Patagones  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Negro. 
In  i860  the  vicinity  of  Rosario  was  subject  to  the 
depredations  of  the  roving  bands  from  the  Gran 
Chaco.  In  1882  the  cordon  for  the  protection  of 
the  northern  part  of  the  Province  of  Santa  Fe  was 
crowding  the  Indians  of  the  Chaco  north  of  the 
Salado  boundary. 

The  duty  of  maintaining  internal  order  is  dis- 
charged as  a  kind  of  military  police  service  in  town 
and  country.  Each  district  is  under  a  military 
officer,  who  disposes  of  the  forces  under  his  com- 
mand as  seems  best  to  him.  If  a  murder  be 
committed,  or  a  dead  body  found  within  his  district, 
it  is  his  business  to  look  into  the  matter. 

In  addition  to  the  Avjny  of  the  Line  and  the 
National  Gtiard,  the  land  forces  include  the  Na- 
tional Reserve.  This  division  of  the  army  includes 
all  male  citizens  fit  for  military  duty  over  forty- 
five  years  of  age.  In  1869,  when  the  first 
national    census   was    taken,  this    corps   was    sixty- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  289 

eiglit  thousand  strong.  At  the  same  rate  of 
increase  as  in  tlie  National  Guard  within  the 
subsequent  period,  the  reserve  force  of  1883  was 
little  less  than  one  hundred  thousand  men.  Thus 
it  appears  that  the  effective  land  forces  of  the 
Argentine  Republic  exceeds  four  hundred  and 
twenty-three  thousand. 

But  the  army  is  only  a  part  of  the  protective 
policy.  There  is  a  water  as  well  as  a  land  frontier 
to  be  guarded.  For  this  the  navy  is  provided, 
which  is  also  in  two  divisions, — the  navy  proper 
and  the  Marine  National  Guard.  In  1883  the 
former  consisted  of  thirty-nine  vessels,  with  an 
aggregate  of  12,630  tonnage  and  fifty-five  guns. 
Their  complement  of  officers  and  men  were  thus 
enumerated :  "  i  rear  admiral,  2  chiefs  of  squad- 
rons, 3  colonels,  9  lieutenant-colonels,  45  second 
lieutenants,  63  students,  23  midshipmen,  20  pay- 
masters, 48  engineers,  23  physicians,  2  almoners, 
20  pilots,  1505  seamen,  and  1737  marines,  including 
officers:  a  torpedo  division  137  strong,  and  a  flotilla 
of  3  steamers  and  3  steam  launches  off  the  Rio 
Negro." 

The  education   of  naval  officers    is    provided   for 

by  a  naval  academy  which,  in  1883,  had  17  teachers 

and   69  pupils.     There    is   also   a  seaman's    school 
N       t  25 


290 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


that  then  numbered  9  teachers  and  43  pupils.  The 
navy  and  the  Army  of  the  Line  "  are  recruited  by 
voluntary  enlistments  for  specified  periods." 

The  President  of  the  Republic  is,  ex  officio,  com- 
mander-in-chief of  all  land  and  sea  forces.  He 
appoints  all  officers  up  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant- 
colonel,  inclusive.  He  also  appoints  the  higher 
grades,  with  the  consent  of  the  Senate.  .The  Sec- 
retary of  War  and  Navy  is  the  highest  military 
authority,  and  all  orders  are  issued  by  him  both 
in  time  of  peace  and  of  war. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


291 


CHAPTER    XX. 

EDUCATIONAL   FACILITIES. 

The  foundation  of  the  present  "  school  system" 
of  the  Argentine  Republic  was  laid  when,  under  the 
Rividavia  administration,  two  young  men  from 
Buenos  Ayres,  who  had  studied  some  Scotch  trea- 
tises on  education,  opened  a  school  in  San  Juan  and 
became  the  teachers  of  the  cliild  Francisco  Domingo 
Sarmiento.  The  description  of  this  school,  after- 
wards given  by  that  pupil,  is  one  of  the  highest 
encomiums  on  that  brief,  bright  rift  in  the  clouds 
that  enveloped  three  and  a  half  centuries  of  La 
Plata  history.  Driven  from  his  own  land  by  suc- 
ceeding tyrannies,  Sarmiento  became  a  school-master 
in  Chili.  Later,  he  visited  Europe  and  the  United 
States,  where  schools  were  to  him  an  object  of  deep 
interest.  When  his  patriotism  at  last  exulted  in 
the  overthrow  of  Rosas  (to  which  he  had  devoted 
himself),  and  another  attempt  was  made  to  secure 
a   republican   form    of  government,   he    turned    his 


292 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


thought  to  the  education  of  the  people,  to  fit  them 
for  such  government,  and  asked  to  be  given  the 
position  of  Director  of  Primary  Instruction.  As 
governor  of  his  native  Province  he  showed  his 
gratitude  for  the  school  of  his  boyhood  by  using 
all  his  influence  to  secure,  as  far  as  possible,  equal 
advantages  for  all  its  youth,  and  the  Sarmiento 
College  of  San  Juan,  one  of  the  largest  and  best 
equipped  schools  for  boys  in  the  Republic,  is  his 
living  memorial.  In  1862  he  was  appointed  the 
first  minister  plenipotentiary  from  the  "  Argentine 
Republic"  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States. 
During  his  residence  at  Washington  no  subject 
more  absorbed  his  thought  than  that  of  popular 
education,  as  is  attested  by  the  translation  of  text- 
books, educational  treatises,  and  a  digest  of  the 
American  school-code.  His  work  while  in  the 
United  States  showed  that  the  man  and  the  patriot 
was  still  the  school-master.  In  1868  his  country- 
men conferred  on  him  the  honor  of  the  Presidency. 
Before  his  departure  from  the  United  States  to 
assume  its  duties,  the  University  of  Michigan 
equally  honored  itself  and  him  by  conferring  on 
him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws.  In  his  inau- 
gural address  he  solemnly  pledged  himself  to  devote 
his  whole  energy  to  the  highest  good  of  his  country. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  293 

A  pledge  for  the  keeping  of  which  posterity  will 
revere  him.  During  his  administration  the  "school 
law"  of  the  Argentine  Republic  became  closely- 
allied  to  those  of  the  United  States,  and  the  public 
school  curriculum  almost  identical  with  that  of  the 
State  of  Michigan.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  Pres- 
idency by  his  Minister  of  Public  Instruction,  thus 
securing  to  the  nation  a  continuance  of  the  same 
educational  policy;  and  at  his  own  request  he 
became  Director  of  Public  Schools  for  the  Province 
of  Buenos  Ayres. 

"  But  how  can  Argentine  youth  be  taught  and 
public  schools  created  without  teachers  ?"  "  We 
must  make  teachers  !"  was  the  decision  of  Sarmi- 
ento  and  his  coadjutors.  "We  must  have  normal 
schools,  and  teachers  must  be  brought  from  more 
favored  lands  to  teach  our  future  teachers  how  to 
teach."  Such  was  the  logical  conclusion  reached 
by  President,  Congress,  and  Provincial  legislators. 

A  practical  illustration  of  the  doctrine  was  given 
in  1 87 1  by  the  opening  of  a  Normal  College,  with 
a  four  years'  course  of  study,  at  Parana.  An  edu- 
cator from  the  United  States  was  placed  at  its  head, 
and  every  young  man  taking  the  course  was  (and 
is)    allowed    thirty    dollars    per    month     from    the 

Education  P'und  with  which  to  defray  his  expenses 

25* 


294  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

while  pursuing  his  studies.  In  1875  another  law 
was  passed  providing  for  the  establishment  of 
normal  schools  for  girls,  and  opening  to  them  the 
door  of  the  one  already  established.  The  grant  to 
girls  taking  the  normal  course  is  fifteen  dollars  per 
month.  The  reason  assigned  for  not  making  it  the 
same  as  to  young  men  is  that  girls  usually  board 
with  their  parents,  and  so  can  live  cheaper.  All 
who  accept  the  grant  pledge  themselves  to  teach 
three  years  for  the  government,  wherever  they  may 
be  needed,  at  an  annual  salary  of  not  less  than  four 
hundred  and  eighty  dollars  for  the  first  year.  The 
school  year  of  1885  opened  with  twenty-two  normal 
colleges  in  operation,  and  twenty-seven  lady  teachers 
from  the  United  States  engaged  in  them.  They 
are  under  the  direct  control  of  the  chief  school 
authorities  of  the  Provinces.  Except  in  that  of 
Parana,  the  course  of  study  is  designed  for  three 
years,  with  a  post-graduate  course  of  two  years. 

These  facts  are  especially  significant  when  it  is 
considered  that  previous  to  the  consolidation  of  the 
government,  in  1862,  outside  of  the  foreign  popu- 
lation of  Buenos  Ayres,  few  ladles  could  read,  and 
refined  female  education  consisted  of  music,  em- 
broidery, and  the  art  of  appearing.  Many  refined 
Argentine  ladles  of  middle  age  cannot  read  or  write, 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


295 


but  show  a  laudable  ambition  to  have  their  daugh- 
ters more  thoroughly  instructed. 

The  record  of  the  first  normal  college  established 
by  it  is  the  most  ample  exposition  of  what  the 
Argentine  Government  means  when  it  reiterates 
the  republican  sentiment,  "  We  must  educate !" 
It  was  my  privilege  to  attend  the  exercises  at  the 
first  decennial  commencement  of  Argentina's  first 
normal  college.  The  following  statements  are  from 
notes  taken  at  the  time  : 

The  school  consists  of  the  Normal  College, 
with  a  faculty  of  eleven  professors  and  ninety-one 
students,  and  the  School  of  Application,  with 
nearly  four  hundred  pupils,  of  whom  nearly  one- 
third  are  girls.  Upon  these  the  undergraduates 
of  the  College  practise  their  powers  of  instruction 
under  the  direction  of  a  lady  principal  from  the 
United  States,  This  lady  receives  an  annual  salary 
of  two  thousand  dollars. 

The  School  of  Application  is  a  copy  of  the 
"  Graded  School"  of  the  United  States.  Its  course 
of  study  embraces  "  reading,  writing,  spelling, 
mental  arithmetic,  written  arithmetic,  universal 
geography,  the  science  and  structure  of  the  Spanish 
language,  history  of  the  Argentine  Republic,  his- 
tory  of   America,   civil    government,    drawing,  and 


296  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

gymnastics,"  supplemented  by  "  a  full  course  of 
object  lessons  in  botany,  natural  history,  and 
physiology." 

The  Normal  College  has  a  five  years'  course, 
comprising  "  arithmetic,  reading,  writing,  drawing, 
composition,  declamation,  singing,  gymnastics, 
methods,  algebra,  geometry,  trigonometry,  survey- 
ing,  cosmography,  physiology,  natural  history, 
grammar,  French,  English,  book-keeping,  geography, 
general  history,  and  civil  government." 

As  in  all  schools  supported  by  government, 
"  religion  is  taught  by  a  Catholic  priest^  who  has 
regular  hours  as  instructor,  and  draws  a  salary 
therefor  from  the  government.  Probably  owing  to 
the  influence  of  foreigners  not  Catholics,  Parana  is 
one  of  the  most  liberal  cities  of  the  Republic  in 
matters  of  religion,  and  no  pupil  is  required  to  be 
present  during  the  time  devoted  to  this  subject  if 
the  parents  wish  otherwise." 

In  its  first  decade  the  college  graduated  seventy- 
one  young  men.  The  principal  said  of  them,  "  All 
are  holding  good  positions  and  doing  good  work 
in  nearly  every  Province  in  the  Republic." 

Three  evenings  of  the  commencement  week  re- 
ferred to  were  devoted  to  public  examinations  of 
the  School  of  Application,     The  written  examina- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


297 


tion,  by  which  the  pupils  were  promoted,  had  pre- 
ceded these.     With   regard  to  the  public  examina- 
tions   the    principal    said,    "  These    have    a    twofold 
object.     First,  to   give  the  parents   a  small   idea  of 
what  their  children  have  done  during  the  year,  and 
also   to    interest   them    in    the  school.     Second,   to 
give    the    graduating  class    a    little   opportunity   of 
showing  their  capacity  for  teaching."     With  regard 
to  the  pupils  she  said,  "  The  children  of  this  coun- 
try are  easy  to  govern,  well  inclined,  and  as  intelli- 
gent as  the  children  of  the  United  States.     In  fact,  I 
think  they  are  more  anxious  to  learn,  as  they  have 
never  before   had  the  opportunity  they   have  now, 
and  seem  anxious  to  improve  the  time."     The  three 
evenings   of  the   examinations,   during  which   their 
class   exercises   were   enlivened   by  gymnastic    dis- 
plays  and   varied   with   music,  verified   her   remark. 
The  crowded  house  showed  the  hold  the  cause  of 
education  has  on  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Parana, 
and  of  Argentines  generally. 

On  "  commencement  evening"  the  "  class  essay" 
was  read  by  one  of  the  two  young  lady  graduates 
(no  ladies  had  been  graduated  before  this),  and  the 
address  of  the  President  of  the  college  was  an  able 
paper  on  the  coeducation  of  the  sexes.  His  argu- 
ments  are    familiar   to   the    people    of    the    United 


2q8  la   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

States,  but  must  have  sounded  strangely  in  ears 
that  had  caught  no  foreign  educational  echoes,  and 
awakened  forebodings  in  minds  accustomed  only 
to  the  conventual  system.  This  was  the  first  and 
is  still  the  only  "  mixed"  government  school.  The 
principal  said,  "  There  was  a  strong  feeling  against 
it.  Every  one  said  it  was  not  a  possible  thing.  It 
has  been  preached  against  in  the  pulpit,  and  every- 
thing done  to  work  against  it.  But  that  is  now  all 
in  the  past."  The  exercises  closed  with  a  graduates' 
ball. 

A  like  munificence  has  been  shown  in  the  matter  " 
of  furnishing,  as  in  the  provision  for  pupils  and 
faculty.  The  desks,  maps,  charts,  scientific,  mathe- 
matical, and  mechanical  apparatus  are  the  result  of 
the  best  brain-work  in  Europe  and  North  America. 
It  has  a  good  library,  in  which  are  translations  of 
many  of  the  best  educational  works  of  the  most 
advanced  nations. 

The  further  to  promote  the  cause  of  popular 
education,  a  "  Teachers'  Congress"  was  called  by 
the  Minister  of  Public  Instruction,  and  was  held  in 
the  national  capital  in  1882.  The  salaries  of  teachers 
in  attendance,  who  were  employed  in  government 
schools,  were  continued  during  the  session,  their 
expenses    while   there   paid    from   the   public  fund, 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  299 

and  free  passes  given  them  going  and  returning. 
There  was  a  good  attendance,  and  the  discussions 
of  the  various  subjects  within  its  scope  were  prac- 
tical, albeit  partaking  of  the  usual  inflated  style. 
When  it  is  considered  how  much  has  been  accom- 
plished in  so  short  a  period,  a  little  inflation  of  this 
kind  can  be  pardoned. 

The  purpose  to  provide  means  of  obtaining  prac- 
tical knowledge  did  not  exhaust  itself  with  the 
attempt  to  provide  native  teachers  for  primary  in- 
struction through  the  medium  of  normal  schools. 
With  a  considerable  outlay  a  National  College 
was  opened  in  every  Province,  the  scope  of  which 
is  to  furnish  to  young  men  the  means  of  a  scientific 
education  and  commercial  training.  Some  of  these 
have  not  been  as  well  attended  or  as  efficient  as  the 
outlay  would  seem  to  warrant. 

A  few  comparisons  will  show  the  result  of  the 
various  efforts  to  provide  educational  facilities  and 
the  popular  appreciation  of  them.  In  1869  (when 
the  first  national  census  was  attempted)  there  were 
4303  children  in  the  public  and  private  schools  of 
the  Province  of  Santa  Fe.  In  1879  there  were 
10,989.  The  educational  statistical  table  for  1872 
gave  468,987  children  in  the  Republic,  of  whom 
81,183  were  attending  school,  and  the  corresponding 


300 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


table  for  1882  (from  an  estimate  of  500,000  children 
between  the  ages  of  six  and  fourteen  years)  re- 
ported 209,963  in  public  and  private  schools  or 
home  taught.  By  these  tables  it  appears  that  in 
the  decade  between  1872  and  1882  the  proportion 
of  children  in  the  Republic  receiving  instruction 
had  increased  from  seventeen  to  forty-one  per  cent. 
In  the  latter  year,  when  40,000 — less  than  half  of  the 
children  in  the  Republic — were  receiving  the  rudi- 
ments of  education,  there  were  2023  educational 
institutions  of  all  kinds  within  its  limits,  with  an 
aggregate  of  4097  teachers.  This  was  an  increase 
^^  553  over  the  previous  year,  and  supplemented 
the  increase  of  8009  pupils,  but  only  38  new  schools. 
It  seems  to  be  the  policy  not  to  overcrowd  teachers, 
but  rather  to  give  a  large  faculty  to  schools  already 
opened  than  to  extend  the  number  of  schools 
beyond  the  easy  capacity  of  the  teachers.  Indeed, 
crowding  any  class  of  national  employes  is  not  a 
national  characteristic. 

Of  the  entire  estimates  of  the  national  expenses 
for  1883,  nearly  one-sixth  (;^4,29i, 67 1.40)  was  for  the 
department  of  "  Justice,  Public  Worship,  and  Public 
Instruction,"  and  of  this  sum  ^2,190,430.88  was  ex- 
pended for  schools.  In  the  Congress  of  that  year 
the  subject  of  abolishing  sectarian  religious  instruc- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


301 


tion  from  the  schools  receiving  support  from  the 
national  treasury  was  agitated,  and  the  succeeding 
Congress  passed  a  law  abolishing  such  instruction. 
Of  the  appropriation  of  $4,000,000  for  schools,  for 
the  years  1884-85,  the  whole  was  for  secular  educa- 
tion. Naturally,  the  priests  who  were  thrown  out 
of  lucrative  positions  by  it  were  none  too  well 
pleased  with  the  passage  of  this  law ;  but  the  execu- 
tive remained  firm,  and  the  law  has  been  enforced. 

The  National  Government  does  not  propose  to 
supply  the  whole  amount  required  for  public  in- 
struction, but  only  to  supplement  what  is  provided 
for  that  purpose  by  Provincial  authorities  and  indi- 
vidual enterprise.  "  The  Federal  Government  must 
pay  one-third  of  the  cost  of  the  schools  as  soon  as 
it  is  proved  that  the  Provincial  or  district  authority, 
or  an  association  of  citizens,  has  raised  the  other 
two-thirds  of  the  sum  required  and  approved  of 
The  central  government  is  also  compelled  to  pay 
^10,000  gold  to  every  Province  that  has  ten  per 
cent,  of  its  inhabitants  at  school,  and  this  sum  must 
be  employed  in  the  interests  of  public  instruction."* 
As  evidence  of  the  entire  impartiality  of  the  govern- 


*  Report  of  the  Argentine  C<niiniission  to  the  Centennial  Exposi- 
tion at  rhiladel[^hia  in  1S76. 

26 


302 


LA    PLATA    COUNTRIES 


ment  at  that  time,  attention  was  called  (in  tlie  report 
above  quoted  from)  to  the  fact  that  these  condi- 
tions are  as  obligatory  for  Protestant  schools  in 
Protestant  colonies  as  if  the  religion  taught  were 
that  of  the  country.  Attention  was  further  called  to 
the  fact  that,  "  owing  to  the  great  illiteracy  of  the 
greater  number  of  immigrants,  government  is  not 
able  to  multiply  schools  fast  enough  for  their  in- 
struction and  for  that  of  the  children  of  the  country." 

As  an  institution  of  higher  education,  the  Uni- 
versity OF  Cordoba  still  carries  its  hoary  honors 
proudly.  Theology,  which  absorbed  its  whole  care 
for  two  hundred  years,  is  now  confined  to  the 
original  college  (Loretto)  founded  in  1613,  and  the 
younger  faculties  of  jurisprudence,  sciences,  and 
medicine  command  confidence  and  respect.  The 
University  of  Buenos  Ayres,  founded  in  1820,  suf- 
fered extinction  during  the  reign  of  Rosas,  but  was 
speedily  revived  when  his  grinding  power  was 
removed. 

In  both  public  and  private  schools  much  attention 
is  given  to  the  several  European  languages.  In  re- 
fined society  it  is  not  unusual  for  an  individual  to 
converse  with  those  of  various  nationalities,  each  in 
his  own  tongue.  The  foreign  languages  most  in 
demand  are  French,  Italian,  German,  and  English. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


303 


In  1870  a  National  Astronomical  Observatory 
was  founded  at  Cordoba  and  placed  under  the  di- 
rection of  B.  A.  Gould,  of  the  United  States ;  and  in 
1875  a  I^UREAU  of  Meteorology  was  added. 

The  further  to  promote  intelligence,  between  two 
and  three  hundred  public  libraries  have  been  estab- 
lished in  different  parts  of  the  Republic,  and  the 
works  selected  for  them  are  not  confined  to  the 
rather  limited  literature  of  the  national  language. 
The  press,  so  sedulously  excluded  in  old  colonial 
days,  is  fully  recognized  as  a  powerful  lever  in 
moving  public  thought.  In  addition  to  rival  battal- 
ions of  political  papers,  scientific  and  literary  peri- 
odicals have  their  place,  and  in  every  town  beyond 
the  dignity  of  a  village  the  daily  is  as  essential  as  in 
any  part  of  the  world.  On  many  of  the  newspapers 
and  journals  foreign  talent  is  employed.  In  Buenos 
Ayres,  English,  French,  German,  and  Italian  resi- 
dents read  their  morning  papers  in  their  own 
language. 

Protestantism  may  properly  be  regarded  as  among 
the  educational  factors.  It  cannot  be  denied  that 
a  considerable  degree  of  religious  intolerance  still 
exists,  especially  in  those  sections  that  have  been 
little  affected  by  foreign  intluences,  and  that  such 
intolerance  should  continue  to  exist  among  a  people 


304 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


educated  for  generations  as  the  people  of  the  La 
Plata  have  been  is  no  more  than  should  be  reason- 
ably expected.  But  all  that  national  legislation  can 
do  to  remove  such  intolerance  and  yet  maintain  the 
national  religion  has  been  done.  That  such  intol- 
erance should  be  roused  to  renewed  activity  by 
the  passage  of  the  law  ejecting  the  priests  from  the 
public  schools,  and  that  it  should  be  fomented  by 
them,  was  only  natural.  The  final  result  must  be 
an  increase  of  religious  liberty.  The  subject  of 
dissolving  the  relation  between  Church  and  State 
is  being  warmly  agitated.  The  Provinces  of  Entre 
Rios  and  Santiago  del  Estero  have  already  adopted 
constitutional  amendments  (the  former  in  1883, 
tlie  latter  in  1884),  by  which  the  relation  between 
the  Church  and  their  Provincial  Government  is 
dissolved.  It  is  probable  that  within  a  few  years 
a  similar  amendment  will  be  made  to  the  National 
Constitution.  But,  so  long  as  there  is  a  state 
religion,  the  executive,  and  every  officer  under  him, 
is  sworn  to  support  it.  Those  who  cannot  take 
such  an  oath  are  guaranteed  the  right  to  a  peaceful 
enjoyment  of  their  own  peculiar  religious  belief 
so  far  as  the  Constitution  and  legislative  enactments 
can  give  the  guarantee.  This  right  was  granted 
by  the   first  Argentine   Constitution,  and   has  never 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


305 


been  revoked.  Even  during  the  Rosas  supremacy 
resident  foreigners  were  allowed  to  maintain  their 
own  forms  of  worship  in  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres. 
Under  the  present  form  of  government,  wherever 
there  are  enough  foreign  residents  to  support  a 
church  of  their  own,  they  have  the  privilege  of 
doing  so,  irrespective  of  creeds,  and  without  even 
the  Brazilian  limit  of  toleration  that  debars  Prot- 
estant places  of  worship  from  having  steeples.  In 
the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres  resident  English  Episco- 
palians, Scotch  Presbyterians,  and  German  Protes- 
tants liave  houses  of  worship  and  maintain  a 
regular  ministry.  The  services  are  in  the  several 
languages  of  the  worshippers.  The  American 
Methodists  also  have  a  commodious,  well-located 
church,  which  is  the  property  of  the  "  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  the  United  States."  This  society  began  work  in 
the  city  during  the  Rosas  administration,  about  the 
time  that  he  took  the  title  of  Dictator.  The  license 
granted  by  the  Dictator  only  conferred  the  privi- 
lege of  preaching  in  the  English  language  in  the 
city  of  Buenos  Ayres.  Repeated  discouragements 
caused  the  society  to  recall  the  missionary,  but 
after  an  interim  of  a  few  years  it  resumed  the  work. 
In  1867  xXxc  propaganda  of  its  doctrines  in  the  native 


3o6 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


tongue  was  begun,  and  has  continued  ever  since. 
This  society  also  owns  a  church  and  has  a  missionary 
stationed  at  Rosario.  The  "  South  American  Evan- 
gehzation  Society"  has  several  stations  in  the  Re- 
pubHc,  where  it  maintains  the  AngHcan  service  for 
EngHsh  residents,  and  in  some  of  them  holds  ser- 
vices in  the  native  language.  Both  of  these  so- 
cieties have  schools  in  connection  with  their  work 
of  propagandism,  and  the  missionaries  and  author- 
ized native  members  make  itinerant  tours,  preaching 
wherever  they  find  available  openings.  There  is 
no  legalized  barrier  against  such  ministrations. 

The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  and  the 
American  Bible  Society  both  have  agents  engaged 
in  the  dissemination  of  the  Scriptures.  In  1883 
the  agents  of  the  former  disposed  of  9320  volumes. 
The  latter  began  work  in  1864,  and  the  agent  then 
appointed*  has  had  charge  of  it  ever  since.  In  the 
twenty  years  he  has  distributed  in  the  La  Plata 
countries  153,120  volumes,  the  proceeds  of  which 
amounted  to  1^32,306  (gold).  In  iZZd^'dx^  vender's 
license  tax  was  remitted  to  him  because  of  the  iin- 
sectarian  and  benevolent  aim  of  the  society,  and  for 
the  same  reason,  the  following  year  his  books  were  al- 
lowed to  enter  the  port  of  Buenos  Ayres  free  of  duty. 

*  Mr,  (now  Rev.)  A.  Milne. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


307 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

CURRENCY  AND   COMMERCE. 

If  there  was  a  monetary  Babel  on  this  earth  in 
the  year  1880,  there  is  no  question  as  to  its  local 
habitat.  From  the  moment  one  set  foot  on  Argen- 
tine soil  the  money  question  was  a  perplexity.  Not 
how  to  get  money  or  how  to  spend  it,  but  how  to 
have  it  in  a  shape  that  it  could  be  spent.  With  a 
pocketful  of  7iational  money  it  was  impossible  to  pay 
a  street-car  fare  in  the  national  capital,  and  with 
an  unlimited  supply  of  Buenos  Ayres  dollars,  which 
alone  would  pay  one's  way  to  the  post-office,  he 
could  not  buy  a  postage-stamp  in  the  city  of  Buenos 
Ayres ;  and  with  both  it  was  questionable  whether 
he  could  get  a  dinner  outside  of  the  Provincial 
limits  of  Buenos  Ayres.  Each  locality  had  its 
prejudices  and  preferences  with  regard  to  what 
kinds  of  money  were  acceptable ;  and  to  pay  his 
way  through  the  Republic  the  traveller  needed  to  be 
supplied  with  fifteen  or  more  different  kinds.     Nat- 


308 


LA   PLATA    CO  UN  TIDIES 


urally  the  money-changer  was  the  most  necessary 
and  prosperous  of  men. 

Argentine  statesmen  were  not  ignorant  of  the  ex- 
asperating and  depressing  nature  of  its  monetary 
medley.  We  but  quote  the  v/ords  of  the  chief  ex- 
ecutive in  affirming  that  "  The  prosperity  of  the 
country,  in  spite  of  such  confusion,  is  due  solely  to 
its  exuberant  productiveness."  It  is  easier  to  give 
an  explanation  than  it  was  to  find  a  solution  of  the 
difficulty. 

Before  the  union  of  the  Provinces  several  of  them 
had  their  own  mints,  and  during  the  period  of  Pro- 
vincial wars  there  was  naturally  engendered  a  re- 
pugnance to  the  circulating  medium  of  the  sections 
with  which  any  was  at  war.  When  the  union  was 
consummated  the  several  Provinces  ceded  the  right 
to  coin  money  to  the  Federal  Government,  and  the 
Provincial  mints  were  destroyed,  but  their  coin  in 
circulation  was  not  called  in,  and  occasionally  one 
of  those  old  coins  might  still  be  encountered. 

The  Federal  Government  had  no  funds  at  its 
command  with  which  to  establish  a  national  specie 
currency,  and  therefore  legalized  the  use  of  foreign 
coins;  contenting  itself  for  the  time  being  with  fixing 
the  imaginary  patacon  (marked  $)  as  the  Argentine 
standard  of  value.     There  was  not,  and  never  had 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


309 


been,  such  an  existence.  It  was  merely  assumed 
as  a  standard  of  measurement.  If  the  patacon  had 
had  existence,  its-  value  would  have  been  nearly 
three  mills  less  than  that  of  the  dollar  of  the  United 
States.  Measured  by  the  patacon,  the  Argentine 
Congress  fixed  the  legal  tender  value  of 


The  Peruvian  sole  at 

"  Spanish-American  ounce  " 

"  Gold  douliloon  " 

"  Brazilian  20  millreis  " 

"  Chilian  condor  " 

"  English  pound  sterling  " 

"  French  20-franc  piece  " 

"  United  States  eagle  " 


15-75 
16.00 

10.00 

915 

4.S8 

390 
9.72 


(Few  of  the  latter  got  into  circulation.)  The 
silver  dollar  and  its  fractions  of  Chili,  Peru,  and 
Bolivia  were  also  legalized.  Bolivia  hastened  to 
coin  its  surplus  silver  for  the  accommodation  of 
its  neighbor,  and  Bolivian  silver  came  to  be  pre- 
ferred to  any  other  currency  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  Republic.  For  the  accommodation  of  the  Gau- 
cho  it  was  coined  with  the  eye  of  a  button  on  the 
reverse  side.  Used  as  a  decoration  of  his  costume, 
they  were  at  once  safe  from  the  risk  of  burglars 
and  an  index  of  his  wealth, — his  patent  of  nobility. 
When  he  might  wish  to  draw  on  his  banker,  he 


310 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


only  needed  to  apply  his  belt-knife  to  its  buttons. 
About  1880  the  banks  began  to  discount  all  coins 
that  had  been  used  as  buttons,  a  measure  that  fore- 
stalled their  extinction. 

In  the  Cuyo  Provinces,  Chilian  silver  mostly  sup- 
plied the  medium  of  trade.  A  number  of  private 
and  Provincial  banks  were  chartered  from  time  to 
time  in  the  several  Provinces  by  authority  of  their 
legislatures,  with  the  right  to  issue  bills  for  circu- 
lation. These  bills  were  issued  of  standards  corre- 
sponding with  the  currency  which  was  most  pop- 
ular in  the  locality  where  each  was  located,  and 
their  issues  were  based  upon  the  coin  value  of  such 
standards.  These  issues  usually  exceeded  public 
confidence,  and  hence  were  liable  to  be  at  a  dis- 
count. Bolivian  silver,  although  popular,  became 
depreciated,  and  in  consequence  the  paper  repre- 
senting it  was  subject  to  an  additional  discount 
and  fluctuation.  Thus,  to  the  confusion  already  ex- 
isting, was  added  the  "  hard  gold  paper  dollar," 
"hard  Bolivian  silver  paper  dollar,"  etc.,  etc.  The 
absurdity  of  the  terms  "  hard  paper,"  *'  hard  gold 
paper,"  "  hard  silver  paper,"  and  the  like,  was  lost 
sight  of  in  the  frequency  of  their  recurrence.  The 
embarrassment  was  further  increased  by  giving  to 
the  unit  of  each  the  same  name,  peso,  and  expressing 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


311 


it  by  the  same  sign,  $.  For  example,  the  national 
standard  pcso^  or  patacon,  was  about  equal  to  one 
dollar  of  United  States  money,  the  Bolivian  peso  to 
sixty  cents,  and  the  Buenos  Ayres  peso  to  four 
cents.  Sometimes  a  letter  on  the  top  of  the  sign 
indicates  what  peso  was  meant,  thus :  $^  (Peruvian), 
$^  (Bolivian),  $^  (Fuertes, — National).  The  frac- 
tions of  the  several  pesos  were  also  all  known  as 
reals^  regardless  of  how  many  might  be  required  to 
make  a  unit.  Thus,  in  the  national  dollar  (worth  one 
dollar,  United  States)  are  ten  reals ;  in  the  Bolivian 
dollar  (worth  sixty  cents.  United  States)  there  are 
eight.  Hence,  if  both  should  be  at  par, — an  un- 
known circumstance, — one  real  is  worth  ten  cents 
and  the  other  worth  only  seven  and  a  half 

The  "  Provincial  Bank  of  Buenos  Ayres"  is  the 
oldest  banking  institution  in  the  Republic.  It  is 
based  on  the  credit  of  the  Province  and  is  its  fiscal 
agent.  Its  bills  are  legal  tender  in  the  payment  of 
debts.  It  was  founded  in  1822,  and  was  converted 
into  a  national  bank  in  1826.  Ten  years  later  its 
name  was  changed  to  the  Casa  de  moiieda.  It  then 
had  a  circulation  of  $15,500,000,  worth  about  four- 
teen cents  to  the  dollar.    In  1839  it  had  $24,000,000, 

*  Pronounced  Re-aF . 


312 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


worth  five  cents.  In  1840,  Rosas  ordered  ;^70,ooo,ooo 
more,  and  they  sank  to  three  cents,  but  they  rose 
again  to  eight  cents.  In  1846,  Rosas  ordered  another 
issue  of  ;^75, 000,000,  which  brought  them  back  to 
three  cents.  Its  circulation  then  was  $126,000,000. 
In  1853  an  additional  $9 1 ,000,000  was  issued.  Then 
the  government  destroyed  $7,000,000.  In  1859 
there  was  a  new  emission  of  $85,000,000,  and  the 
value  went  down  to  four  cents.  In  1861  the  civil 
war  called  for  more,  and  an  issue  of  $100,000,000 
was  made.  In  1864  a  law  was  passed  prohibiting 
any  further  issue,  and  monthly  burnings  were  re- 
sumed till  $55,000,000  were  destroyed.  In  1866  a 
law  was  passed  making  four  cents  the  fixed  value, 
and  since  that  time  the  standard  has  not  been 
changed.  In  1883  its  currency  notes  amounted  to 
$400,000,000,  equal  to  $16,000,000  gold.  It  had 
also  about  $20,000,000  of  gold  notes,  making  its 
total  circulation  $36,000,000.  Its  capital  then  was 
$35,000,000  gold,  its  deposits  $30,000,000,  and  its 
operations  exceeded  $100,000,000.  On  the  ist  of 
January,  1885,  its  circulation  was  $27,000,000  pesos 
nacionales  (national  dollars). 

In  1872  the  **  National  Bank"  was  chartered  for 
twenty  years  by  the  National  Congress,  with  au 
authorized  capital  of  $29,000,000,  of  which  the  Na- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


313 


ti'onal  Government  subscribed  ;^2,ooo,ooo  and  pri- 
vate individuals  ;^5, 000,000.  Notwithstanding  the 
legahzation  of  foreign  coins  there  had  always  been 
a  scarcity  of  specie  in  the  country,  owing  to  the 
necessity  of  exporting  large  sums  to  pay  the  interest 
on  foreign  loans  and  the  excess  of  imports  over  ex- 
ports. In  1873,  when  the  imports  amounted  to 
;^7 1, 000,000  and  the  exports  only  to  ^45,000,000, 
the  stringency  of  the  money  market  culminated  in 
a  financial  "  panic"  from  which  the  country  did  not 
recover  for  several  years,  and  the  remaining  stock 
of  the  newly-authorized  bank  did  not  find  pur- 
chasers. Hence,  in  1876,  its  authorized  capital  was 
reduced  to  ;$8,ooo,ooo. 

In  1880,  Congress  again  authorized  its  increase  to 
;^20,ooo,ooo,  and  the  National  Government  took 
56,000,000.  It  is  controlled  by  a  board  of  directors, 
four  of  whom  are  chosen  by  the  stockholders  and 
four  appointed  by  the  President  of  the  Republic 
and  confirmed  by  Congress.  It  has  a  branch  in 
each  of  the  principal  towns  of  the  Province.  Al- 
though the  National  Government  is  the  largest 
stockholder,  the  bank  is  not  founded  on  the  na- 
tional credit  or  backed  by  the  national  resources. 
The  following    table    illustrates    the   success   of  its 

operations : 

o  27 


314 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


1876. 

1883. 

Authorized  capital 

^8,000,000 

^20,000,000 

Deposits      .         .         .         .         . 

1,623,572 

12,480,927 

Advances  iu  account  current 

249,260 

14,488,241 

Circulation           .... 

3.407,997 

11,500,430 

Reserve 

2,515,160 

5,112,167 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1885,  its  issue  amounted  to 
^24,000,000.  Since  1883  no  other  banks  save  the 
National  and  the  Provincial  Bank  of  Buenos  Ayres 
have  had  the  right  to  issue  bills  for  circulation. 

To  bring  order  out  of  chaos,  the  Congress  of 
1875  passed  a  "Uniform  Currency"  law,  which  pro- 
vided for  the  future  emission  of  gold,  silver,  and 
copper  coins  with  the  peso  fiierte  nacional  (hard 
national  dollar,  ^)  as  its  unit.  This  dollar  was  made 
to  correspond  in  value  with  the  French  five-franc 
piece,  equal  to  ;$0.945  of  the  United  States.  The 
gold  coins  authorized  by  this  law  are  the  Jialf  colon ^ 
colon,  and  double  colon^  worth,  respectively,  $^,  ;$io, 
and  ^20.  The  silver  coins — $1,  ;$o.50,  ;^0.20,  $o.\0. 
One-  and  two-cent  coins  are  in  copper.  By  a  further 
act,  passed  in  1881,  all  the  old  standards  were  abol- 
ished ;  the  establishment  of  two  national  mints  au- 
thorized, one  in  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres  and  the 
other  in  the  city  of  Salta ;  and  the  use  of  all  foreign 
silver  coins  prohibited  as  soon  as  the  national  issue 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


315 


should  amount  to  $4,000,000,  and  of  all  foreign  gold 
coin  when  the  national  gold  coinage  should  reach 
58,000,000.  The  Congress  of  1883  followed  with 
the  passage  of  a  bill  which  required  all  banks  to 
call  in  their  circulation  under  the  various  standards 
and  reissue  in  bills  corresponding  with  the  national 
standard,  and  to  withdraw  from  circulation  all  bills 
of  a  less  value  than  one  national  dollar.  The  gov- 
ernment reserved  to  itself  the  right  to  issue  frac- 
tional currency  to  the  amount  of  $8,000,000.  The 
mint  at  Buenos  Ayres  was  put  into  operation  about 
the  end  of  1881,  and  by  the  31st  of  March,  1883, 
had  issued  5,755,257  coins  with  an  aggregate  value 
of  54,154,519.16.  By  the  ist  of  October  the  issue 
had  been  swelled  to  the  required  $8,000,000.  The 
whole  issue  for  1883  was  $6,248,655.  A  part  of 
this  coinage  was  from  bullion,  but  a  considerable 
proportion  was  from  old  coins.  The  banks  took  up 
the  coin  as  soon  as  issued,  and  held  it  in  their  vaults 
ready  for  the  date  at  which  they  were  required  to 
withdraw  their  circulation  and  reissue.  In  commer- 
cial circles  generally  the  disposition  to  co-operate 
with  the  government  in  effecting  the  change  was 
manifest.  The  expediency  of  adopting  a  system  of 
"National  Banks"  similar  to  that  of  the  United 
States  has  been  before  Congress  for  the  past  three 


3i6 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


years,  and  the  propriety  of  passing  a  law  authorizing 
it  earnestly  advocated  by  President  Roca. 

Possibly,  although  more  complex,  the  Argentine 
monetary  chaos  has  only  been  a  degree  worse  than 
that  which  afflicted  the  United  States  during  the 
ascendancy  of  the  "  wild-cat  banks." 

As  the  country  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the 
financial  crisis  of  1873,  the  customs  reports  began 
again  to  show  an  excess  of  imports  over  the  ex- 
ports in  an  increasing  ratio.  Although  a  consider- 
able proportion  of  this  excess  was  materials  for 
opening  new  industries  and  for  works  of  public 
improvement,  it  no  less  surely  drained  the  country 
of  specie,  and  the  result  was  another  financial  crisis. 
The  run  upon  the  two  strongest  banking  institu- 
tions in  the  country,  the  "  National  Bank"  and  the 
"  Provincial  Bank  of  Buenos  Ayres,"  by  parties 
wishing  foreign  exchange,  compelled  them  both  to 
suspend  specie  payment,  the  former  on  the  8th  and 
the  latter  on  the  15th  of  January,  1885.  On  the  day 
succeeding  the  failure  of  each,  the  National  Govern- 
ment issued  a  decree  relieving  it  from  the  necessity 
of  redeeming  its  notes  in  gold  for  two  years,  and 
making  them  legal  tender  for  all  debts,  public  and 
interior.  Thus  the  financial  machinery  is  kept  in 
motion,  and  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  317 

with  prudence  gained  through  experience  and  a 
httle  wholesome  self-denial  the  nation  "  will  go  on 
in  its  great  march  of  progress  to  the  glorious  future 
that  awaits  it." 

There  is  a  close  connection  between  a  sound 
currency  and  an  adequate  revenue.  The  revenue 
of  the  Argentine  nation  is  made  up  from  a  variety 
of  sources,  and,  according  to  official  reports,  has 
always  had  a  hopeful  future.  It  has  been  steadily 
increasing  since  the  consolidation  of  the  nation.  In 
1870  the  entire  revenue  from  all  sources  amounted 
to  ;$ 1 5,307,709.  In  the  fourteen  years  from  1870  to 
1883  the  aggregate  annual  return  had  doubled,  and 
in  the  latter  year  the  total  revenue  was  $30,703,348. 
The  estimates  for  1885  look  beyond  ;^3 5, 000,000. 
With  this  steady  growth  it  is  not  strange  that  a 
rainbow  hue  spans  Argentina's  financial  horizon. 
The  national  expenditure,  that  always  is  in  excess 
of  its  income,  is  the  dark  background  of  this  bow 
of  promise.  It  must  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that 
the  ambitious  young  nation  inherited  an  onerous 
public  debt,  and  has  struggled  onward  with  it 
upon  its  shoulders  without  any  hint  of  "  repudia- 
tion." During  the  present  and  the  last  administra- 
tions the  subject  has  been  continuously  agitated  for 

consolidating,  funding,  and  in  some  measure  liqui- 

27* 


2i8  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

dating  the  public  debt,  and  to  so  manage  public 
finances  as  "to  enable  us  to  carry  on  numberless 
works  of  public  utility  without  burdening  future  gen- 
erations with  such  debts  as  have  been  handed  down 
to  us,  and  were  contracted  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  wars  abroad  and  internecine  strife."  Instead  of 
diminishing,  the  public  debt  continues  to  increase, 
but  we  are  assured  that  this  "  is  wholly  due  to  the 
excessive  liberality  of  the  British  people  in  lending 
us  money."  The  money  borrowed  is  applied  to 
works  of  public  utility.  As  a  rule  these  works  are 
made  a  source  of  national  revenue,  as  in  the  case  of 
railroads  and  telegraphs.  Previous  to  1870,  Argen- 
tine bonds  had  never  been  above  70  per  cent,  in 
the  London  market.  In  December,  1881,  they  first 
reached  par,  and  in  1883  sold  at  from  i^  per  cent, 
to  2i<(  per  cent,  premium. 

The  increase  in  the  public  debt  is  indicated  by  the 

following  summary : 

1881,  1882.  1883. 

Foreign  .  .  .  ^57,781,632  ^58,987,152  $80,627,581 
Interior     .         .         .       24,224,659  43,439,475  25,849,730 

Total  .         .     $82,006,291       $102,426,627       $106,477,311 

Its  eagerness  to  develop  the  national  resources 
and  open  up  routes  of  intercommunication  induced 
the  Congress    of    1883    to  authorize   an   additional 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  ^IQ 

loan  of  $30,000,000,  which,  with  the  remainder  of 
unsold  bonds  previously  authorized,  swells  the 
national  debt  in  1885  to  $142,000,000.  By  the 
terms  of  the  bill,  one-third  of  the  additional  $30,- 
000,000  of  bonds  was  to  be  put  upon  the  market 
in  each  of  the  years  1884-85-86.  Accordingly  the 
proposed  $10,000,000  was  put  into  the  English 
market  at  84  per  cent. 

The  interest  on  the  public  debt  in  1865  was 
$3,221,125;  in  1875  it  was  $8,563,498,  and  in  1885 
is  nearly  $12,000,000.  That  is,  more  than  one-third 
of  the  revenue  is  now  required  to  pay  the  interest 
on  the  national  debt.  The  payments  are  promptly 
made,  and  hence  its  bonds  find  a  fair  market.  It 
is  confidently  expected  that  the  increased  revenue 
soon  to  be  derived  from  the  sale  of  public  lands  and 
from  new  industries,  as  well  as  the  more  advanta- 
geous prosecution  of  the  old  industries,  will  extin- 
guish both  interest  and  principal  within  a  few  years. 

The  present  revenue  is  made  up  from  a  variety 
of  sources,  chief  among  which  are  import  and 
export  duties,  warehouse  fees,  stamped  paper,  direct 
taxes,  post-offices,  telegraphs,  light-house  dues, 
public  lands,  forests,  railways,  and  bank  stock. 

While  each  of  these  sources  yields  a  no  insig- 
nificant item  to  the  grand  total,  the  tax  upon  foreign 


320 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


commerce,  in  the  form  of  import  and  export  duties, 
yields  the  greatest  revenue.  There  are  not  want- 
ing statesmen  who  regard  such  a  tax  as  ultimately 
detrimental,  and  some  even  echo  **  free-trade"  sen- 
timents with  modifications ;  but  it  has  not  yet  been 
brought  within  the  general  range  of  thought  to 
doubt  that  for  many  years  to  come  this  must  be 
an  important,  if  not  the  important,  source  of  rev- 
enue. There  has,  however,  always  been  a  tax  on 
Argentine  commerce — more  onerous  than  any  Con- 
gress would  propose — that  it  was  at  length  resolved 
to  abolish.  This  heaviest  of  all  taxes  was  the  dis- 
advantages against  which  it  labored  from  the  nature 
of  the  river  which  is  its  door  of  commerce. 

Throughout  the  colonial  period  it  was  the  policy 
of  Spain  to  keep  commerce  away  from  the  La 
Plata.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  thereafter,  with 
one  brief  exception,  it  was  also  the  policy  of  the 
native  administration.  And  when  the  principle  of 
exclusion  was  buried,  a  multitude  of  interests  clam- 
ored for  attention  and  for  the  outlay  of  larger  sums 
than  were  available.  As  opening  the  Rio  de  la 
Plata  to  commerce  signalized  the  acquisition  of 
independence,  and  the  building  of  the  Buenos  Ayres 
piers  declared  that  tyranny  should  no  longer  con- 
trol its  waters,  the  port  of  the  Rio  Chuela  indicates 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  ^21 

that  Argentina's  future  conquests  lie  in  the  avenues 
of  peace  and  fraternity. 

What  the  future  of  Argentine  commerce  will  be, 
with  its  added  facilities  and  the  increasing  proba- 
bilities of  additional  production  and  development, 
may  be  inferred  from  what  it  has  already  become  in 
spite  of  all  disadvantages.     Its  foreign  commerce 

In   iSSi  amounted  to  .         .         .     ^110,198,753 

In   1SS2  "  ....        117,711,270 

In   1S83  "  ....        140,604,804 

The    aggregate    of    imports    have    usually   been 

largely  in  excess  of  the  exports.     In   1 870  articles 

of  unproductive  consumption  made  up  %Z  per  cent. 

of  all   imports.     In    1876   they  were    88.4,   and    in 

1882    only   77.8    per    cent.     The   tendency    of    the 

nation  to   industrial  enterprises  is  indicated  by  the 

increasing  proportion  of  imports  of  this  class.     In 

1876   they  constituted    only    11.6  per  cent,   of  the 

whole.     In   1882  they  had  increased  to  22,  in  1883 

to  24  per  cent.      This    is  more  fully  illustrated  by 

the  following  comparisons : 

1882.  1883. 


Fabricated  articles        . 

Unfabricated 

Industrial  raw  material 

Machinery  . 

Fuel    .... 


^36,671,553  $44,208,467 

1 1 ,090,43 1  1 6,964,788 

6,616,350  10,910,953 

5,738,385  6,959,945 

1,129,320  6,391,575 


222  -^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

In  1883,  Great  Britain  owned  34  per  cent  of  all 
the  ships  that  entered  the  port  of  Buenos  Ayres, 
France  had  16  per  cent.,  13  per  cent,  carried  the 
Argentine  flag,  9  per  cent,  the  Italian,  9  per  cent,  the 
Uruguayan,  4  per  cent,  the  Brazilian,  and  2  per  cent, 
the  American. 

While  a  portion  of  the  Argentine  commerce  is 
through  the  medium  of  the  time-honored  "  winged 
ships,"  by  far  the  greater  part  scorns  so  slow  a 
servant,  and  leaves  to  it  only  the  carriage  of  the 
bulkiest  freights,  such  as  lumber,  coal,  salt,  wool, 
and  hides.  In  1884,  75  per  cent,  of  all  freights  were 
carried  in  steamships.  Great  Britain  has  7  lines  of 
steamships  trading  regularly  with  the  ports  of  the 
Plata,  France  has  3,  Belgium  2,  Spain  i.  Five  hun- 
dred and  twenty-eight  steam-ships  discharged  cargo 
at  Buenos  Ayres  during  the  year  1883.  Of  these 
222  were  from  England,  113  from  France,  'j'j  from 
Germany,  70  from  Italy,  32  from  Belgium,  and  14 
from  Spain.  There  is  not  an  important  port  in 
Europe,  on  the  Atlantic  or  Mediterranean,  that  is 
not  regularly  connected  by  steam  with  the  metrop- 
olis of  the  Plata.  A  large  proportion  of  these 
ships  stop  at  Brazilian  ports,  and  thus  give  the 
empire  the  advantage  of  frequent  means  of  com- 
munication.    Of  all   the   great  nations  aspiring   to 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  323 

a  share  in  this  traffic,  only  tlic  United  States  has 
fliiled  to  call  to  its  aid  the  service  of  the  "  chained 
giant." 

The  fastest  steamers  make  the  passage  from 
Europe  in  from  26  to  28  days.  The  fastest  sailing 
vessels  from  the  United  States  require  60  days. 
In  the  summer  of  1884  the  bark  "Amazon,"  with 
the  help  of  a  steam-tug,  made  it  in  40  days. 

The  share  in  this  commerce  which  each  nation 
controls  is  not  in  the  exact  ratio  of  its  shipping. 
In  1876,  Great  Britain  controlled  19^  per  cent,  of 
the  whole,  22  per  cent,  in  1882,  and  26.2  per  cent, 
in  1883.  France  controlled  22 1^,  23^,  and  26 
per  cent,  during  the  same  years.  In  1882  the 
United  States  controlled  8,  and  in  1883  only  6  per 
cent.  As  she  only  had  2  per  cent,  of  the  ship- 
ping, and  that  of  an  inferior  carrying  capacity,  the 
difference  between  her  percentage  of  ships  and  of 
trade  represents  the  European  embargo  on  Ameri- 
can commerce. 

Woven  fabrics,  hardware,  and  coal  head  the  list 
of  England's  contributions  to  meet  Argentine  wants  ; 
lumber,  agricultural  implements,  and  kerosene  that 
of  the  United  States.  In  1884,  England  sold  to  the 
Argentine  Republic  (in  round  numbers)  $22,000,000 
of  goods,  and  the  United  States  sold  to  it  $4,000,000 


324  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

worth.  Even  in  lumber,  Great  Britain  is  our  most 
formidable  rival. 

Many  minor  articles  of  American  manufacture 
are  already  known  and  favorably  received.  Many 
others  would  meet  with  favor  if  introduced.  A 
preference  for  American  goods  is  expressed,  and  it 
is  said  that  the  best  cottons  sold  under  British 
names  are  from  the  looms  of  the  United  States. 

The  Argentines  are  a  music-loving  and  a  musi- 
cally-inclined people.  A  musical  instrument  of 
some  kind  is  an  indispensable  accessory  of  every 
refined  home.  The  piano  and  guitar  enjoy  prece- 
dence. So  universal  is  the  former  that  a  refusal 
to  play  or  a  declaration  of  inability  is  met  with  the 
incredulous  exclamation,  "  An  Argentine,  and  not 
play !"  France  long  held  the  monopoly  of  sup- 
plying musical  instruments ;  but  at  length  the 
United  States  struck  a  note  for  the  Argentine  ear, 
and  in  1882  the  first  invoice  of  pianos  was  sent 
there.  Already  several  other  orders  have  been 
filled,  and  the  sweet  tone  of  the  American  instru- 
ment wins  it  preferment.  The  first  consignment 
was  but  the  admission  of  the  trunk  of  one  more 
Yankee  elephant,  in  whose  rear  stands  a  host  of 
outstretched  probosces. 

European  dealers    give   to   Argentine    retailers  a 


OF  sour II  AMERICA. 


325 


credit  of  six  months  on  all  bills  of  goods  sold 
to  them.  American  dealers  require  cash  on  de- 
livery. American  dealers  receive  their  orders  by 
mail,  making  a  delay  of  five  or  six  weeks  (or  if  by 
cable,  by  a  circuitous  route),  and  the  goods  are  sent 
by  sailing  vessels  requiring  from  sixty  to  ninety  days 
for  the  passage.  European  dealers  receive  their 
orders  by  cable,  and  the  goods  are  delivered  at  the 
port  of  Buenos  Ayres  within  thirty  or  thirty-five 
days. 

The  commerce  of  Argentina  with  the  several 
countries  of  Europe  is  mostly  effected  through 
branch-houses  established  in  the  cities  of  the  Re- 
public by  business  firms  in  those  countries.  That 
with  the  United  States,  wholly  through  agents  to 
whom  consignments  are  made,  or  on  special  orders 
sent  to  manufacturers  or  agents  by  business  firms 
there,  who  have  no  personal  interest  beyond  their 
commission  on  sales. 

American  commerce  labors  under  the  further  dis- 
advantage of  having  no  direct  medium  for  transmit- 
ting funds.  British,  French,  Italian,  and  Belgian 
traders  all  draw  direct  on  banking-houses  doing 
business  at  both  ends  of  their  trade  circuit.  The 
American   must   not  only  depend  on  a  foreign  ship 

to  carry  himself  and  his  wares,  but  must  also  pay 

28 


326 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRLES 


roundly  for  the  privilege  of  sending  his  remittances 
through  a  foreign  channel.  No  point  in  the  United 
States  is  known  in  the  Argentine  or  neighboring 
Republics  as  a  money  basis.  Remittances  are  usu- 
ally made  through  some  banking  house  in  England. 
Bills  of  exchange  on  Baring  Brothers  &  Co.  and 
Brown  Brothers  &  Co.  are  most  readily  negotiated. 

Of  the  foreign  banks  doing  business  in  the  Argen- 
tine Republic,  **  The  London  and  River  Plate  Bank 
(limited)"  is  the  oldest.  It  was  established  in  1863 
with  an  authorized  capital  of  ^10,000,000,  of  which 
^7,500,000  is  paid  up,  and  it  has  a  reserve  fund  of 
;^775,ooo.  In  1881  it  built  a  banking-house  in 
Buenos  Ayres  which  cost  ^43,000  and  is  one  of 
the  finest  business  houses  in  the  city.  It  does  all 
branches  of  banking  business,  except  issuing  bills 
for  circulation,  and  has  branches  established  in 
Rosario  and  Cordoba. 

"  The  Bank  of  Italy  and  the  River  Plate"  ranks 
next  in  seniority,  and  has  a  capital  of  ;^  1,500,000, 
with  a  reserve  fund  of  ^160,000.  Both  of  these 
banks  pay  an  annual  dividend  of  about  ten  per  cent. 

"  The  English  Bank  of  the  River  Plate  (limited)" 
was  established  in  1882,  with  an  authorized  capital 
of  i^7,500,ooo,  of  which  ^^5, 000,000  is  paid  up. 

It  is  not  the  fault  of  the  Argentine  Republic  that 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  327 

the  United  States  occupies  the  fifth  place  in  its  com- 
mercial list,  or  that  the  fraternal  bonds  are  not  drawn 
more  closely.  It  has  never  wearied  of  referring  to 
her  as  its  "  great  example,"  It  has  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity of  expressing  its  high  appreciation  of  the 
American  people.  It  has  entertained  every  repre- 
sentative of  and  every  proposition  from  the  nation 
with  respect,  and,  while  struggling  for  a  foothold 
among  nations,  reached  a  beckoning,  an  imploring 
hand  to  the  commerce  of  *'  the  elder  sister  among 
republics."  And  from  the  hour  when  steam  navi- 
gation began  to  take  the  precedence,  the  continual 
inquiry  has  been,  "  When  can  we  have  steam  com- 
munication with  the  United  States?"  During  Sar- 
miento's  administration,  the  Argentine  Congress 
voted  a  standing  subsidy  of  twenty  thousand  dollars 
a  year  to  any  company  that  would  place  a  line  of 
steamships  from  Buenos  Ayres  to  any  port  in  the 
United  States.  In  his  message  of  June  19,  1878, 
President  Avellenada  asked  Congress  to  increase  the 
subsidy  to  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  and  it  was 
done  without  hesitation.  Both  rulers  and  people 
have  continuously  expressed  the  most  lively  interest 
in  any  project  that  would  draw  closer  the  com- 
mercial and  social  ties  between  the  two  countries. 
While  the  Roach  line  of  steamers  was  still  run- 


328 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


ning  between  New  York  and  Rio  de  Janeiro,  a 
proposition  was  made  to  extend  their  route  to 
Buenos  Ayres,  which  was  hailed  with  deh"ght  in 
that  city,  and  the  behef  expressed  that  if  it  were 
so  extended,  and  could  live  one  year,  its  success 
would  be  assured.  The  project  met  a  spirited  op- 
position from  a  British  steamship  company,  and 
instead  of  extending  its  route  the  line  was  eventually 
wholly  withdrawn.  The  rival  company  then  sent 
one  ship  per  month  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  to  New 
York  and  back.  But  the  return  trip  was  soon  dis- 
continued, and  the  round  trip  from  Liverpool  to 
Rio  de  Janeiro  with  European  manufactures,  thence 
to  New  York  with  coffee,  and  thence  back  to 
Liverpool  in  ballast  substituted.  Still  further  to  the 
disadvantage  of  American  shipping,  the  same  com- 
pany put  steamers  into  the  Buenos  Ayres  trade  to 
carry  freights  direct  to  New  York.  Had  these  ships 
then  returned  to  New  York,  they  would  in  a  measure 
have  formed  the  desired  link  of  closer  communica- 
tion. But  they  also  make  the  "  round  trips."  In 
1883  this  line  carried  one-half  of  the  entire  ship- 
ments sent  from  Buenos  Ayres  to  the  United  States, 
valued  at  ;$  1,0 12,109.93,  and  out  of  fifty-nine  sailing 
vessels  from  the  United  States  only  eleven  got 
return  freights. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


329 


When  the  "  Congress  of  American  Nations"  was 
called  to  meet  in  Washington,  in  1882,  to  discuss 
matters  of  interest  pertaining  to  the  American  conti- 
nent, Argentina  promptly  appointed  its  delegates, 
rejoicing  that  at  last  something  might  be  done  to 
establish  the  longed-for  bonds  of  fellowship.  The 
announcement,  in  1884,  that  three  commissioners  had 
been  appointed  by  the  United  States  Government  to 
visit  the  several  countries  of  South  America  and  as- 
certain in  what  way  closer  commercial  relations  might 
be  established  was  hailed  in  Buenos  Ayres  with 
enthusiasm;  and  when,  in  May,  1885,  the  Commis- 
sion arrived  in  the  Argentine  capital,  it  was  received 
with  genuine  cordiality.  President  Roca,  person- 
ally and  in  behalf  of  the  nation,  expressed  an  earnest 
desire  for  closer  commercial  relations,  but  said  that 
it  is  useless  to  expect  it  without  transportation 
facilities,  and  added  that  the  Argentine  nation  stands 
ready  to  give  as  much  financial  aid  to  any  steamship 
company  that  will  sail  vessels  regularly  between  the 
ports  of  the  two  countries  as  the  United  States  will 
give.  He  concluded  by  expressing  the  hope  that 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States  will  do  something 
at  once. 

In  the  mean  time  the  ten  thousand  three  hundred 

miles  of  steamship   route   from   New   York   to   the 

28* 


330 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


mouth  of  the  Plata  has  been  reduced  to  seven  thou- 
sand miles  by  the  establishment  in  1883  of  a  line 
of  three  American  steamers  from  New  York  to  Rio 
de  Janeiro,  calling  at  intermediate  ports.  All  are 
new  steamers  of  two  thousand  tons  register,  and 
have  good  accommodations  for  passengers.  The 
line  is  subsidized  by  the  Brazilian  Government 
The  "  Finance"  made  the  first  trip,  and  arrived  in 
Rio  de  Janeiro  on  February  27,  1884.  The  "Ad- 
vance" put  in  its  appearance  there  on  the  nth  of 
April  following,  and  the  ''  Reliance"  on  June  9. 
They  have  since  made  regular  trips.  Passengers 
going  by  them  readily  make  connection  with  Eu- 
ropean steamships  for  La  Plata  ports. 

My  journey  home  by  way  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  in- 
cluding a  day  in  the  most  beautiful  city  south  of 
the  equator,  occupied  exactly  the  same  length  of 
time  as  the  outward-bound  journey  from  Liverpool 
to  Montevideo.  Not  a  storm  ruffled  nor  fog 
shrouded  the  mirror-like  surface  of  the  ocean  during 
the  thirty  days.  The  smiles  of  old  Atlantic  in 
coming  up  contrasted  so  pleasantly  with  the  con- 
tinued frowns  during  that  double  crossing,  that, 
aside  from  all  principles  of  loyalty  and  patriotism, 
aside  from  the  satisfaction  of  sailing  under  the 
"  star-spangled  banner,"  aside  from  all  thoughts  of 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


331 


commerce  or  republicanism,  I  could  heartily  sym- 
pathize with  the  hope  that  "  the  two  most  enter- 
prising and  progressive  republics  in  the  world"  may 
soon  be  united  by  steam  and  clasped  more  firmly 
by  electric  bands. 


232  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

EPITOME   OF  ARGENTINE   HISTORY. 

The  Province  of  Buenos  Ayres  led  in  the  war 
of  revolution  by  a  declaration  of  indepen- 
dence made  in      .         .         .         .         .         .1810 

The  declaration  of  independence  of  the  Span- 
ish Provinces  of  La   Plata  was  made   by  a 
General    Congress    of    delegates    from    the 
several  Provinces,  met  at  Tucuman     July  9,   18 16 

Their  independence  was  acknowledged  by  the 
United  States        .         .         .         .         .         .  1822 

Independence  acknowledged  by  Great  Britain  .   1823 

"     Spain     .         .   1825 

Constitution  adopted  for  the  Republic  of  La 
Plata 1825 

General  Rivadavia,  President    .         .         .       1825-27 

Revolutionary  symptoms  caused  President  Ri- 
vadavia to  resign July,   1827 

General  Derrogo  made  Governor  of  Buenos 
Ayres July,  1827 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  333 

General  Lavalla  defeated  and  succeeded  Der- 
rogo      ........   1827 

Juan  Manuel  de  Rosas  defeated  and  succeeded 

Lavalla  as  Governor  of  Buenos  Ayres  .         .   1827 

Juan   Manuel  de   Rosas   ruled  the   Argentine 

Provinces  under  title  of  "  President"     .       1827-35 

Under  title  of '' Dictator"  .         .         .       1835-52 

Defeated  in  battle     .         .         .        February  2,   1852 

Convention  of  San  Nicholas  adopted  a  Consti- 
tution for  the  Argentine  Confederation, 

May  31,   1852 

General  Vicente  Lopez  was  made  Provisional 
Governor  of  Buenos  Ayres  and  chief  of  the 
"Arcrentine  Confederation." 

General  Justo  Jose  de  Urquiza  defeated  and 
superseded  Lopez  .         .         .     June  23,   1852 

General  Urquiza  then  assumed  supreme  power 
as  "Dictator  of  the  Argentine  Confedera- 
tion." 

The  Province  of  Buenos  Ayres  rebelled  against 
General  Urquiza  and  defeated  him  in  battle, 

September  11,   1852 

The  Province  of  Buenos  Ayres  maintained  its 
independence  of  the  "Argentine  Confedera- 
tion" from     ....   September  II,   1852 

The  city  and  Province  of  Buenos  Ayres  con- 


334 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


tinued  in  a  state  of  anarchy.  Eleven  "gov- 
ernments" succeeded  each  other  within  a 
single  year. 

Dr.  Valentine  Alsina,  Governor  of  Buenos 
Ayres 1S57 

General  Bartolome  Mitre,  Governor  of  Buenos 
Ayres  ........   1^59 

General     Justo     Jose     de     Urquiza,    Dictator 

("President")  of  Argentine  Confederation  1852-60 

Dr.  Don  Santiago  Durqui,  "President"    .         .   i860 

War  between  Buenos  Ayres  and  Argentine 
Confederation. 

Buenos  Ayrean  troops,  commanded  by  General 
Mitre,  victorious.  President  Durqui  fled,  and 
General  Mitre  was  proclaimed  Provisional 
President  of  the  Argentine  Confederation. 

The  Province  of  Buenos  Ayres  and  the  Ar- 
gentine Confederation  were  united  under 
the  name  of  the  "Argentine  Republic,"  or 
"Argentine  Nation,"  and  a  Federal  Consti- 
tution promulgated       .....   1862 

PRESIDENTS    OF    THE   ARGENTINE    REPUBLIC. 

General  Don  Bartolome  Mitre.         .         .       1862-68 
General     Don     Domingo     Francisco     Sarmi- 
ento 1868-74 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA, 


335 


Dr.  Don  Nicolas  Avellaneda 
General  Don  Julio  A.  Roca 


1874-80 
1880-86 


TREATIES    OF    BOUNDARIES. 


With  Bolivia     . 
Paraguay 
Chili 
Brazil,  pending 


«( 


II 


« 


.  1876 

February  3,  1876 

October  12,  1881 

January  I,  1885 


Table  of  Capital  Cities  of  the  Argentine  Republic. 


Names  of  Pkov- 

INCHS. 


Buenos  Ayrcs 
Catamarca.  . 
Cordoba.  .  . 
Cornentcs  .    . 


Entre  Rios 

Jiijui     .    .  . 

Mendoza  . 

Rioja    .    .  . 

Salta    .    .  . 

San  Juan  . 

San  Luis  . 

Santa  Fe  . 
Santiago 

tcro .     .  . 

Tucuman  . 


del    Es- 


Names  of 

CiTlKS. 


1 


Federal  Capi- 
tal—  Buenos 
Ayres 

La  Plata  . 
Catamarca 
Cordoba  . 
Corrientes 

Concepcion 
del    Uru- 
guay .    . 
lujui    .    .    . 
Mendoza    . 
Rioja.     .    . 
Salta    .    .    . 
San  Juan   . 
San  Luis    . 
Santa  Fe    . 
Santiago  del 

tero      .    . 
Tucuman  . 


Longitude 

\V.  from  South  lati- 


Green- 
wich. 


58°  21'  25" 


65°  54'  44" 
64O  10'    2" 

58°  52'  50" 


51°  14' 


tude. 


34°  36'  35" 


28°  28' 
31O24' 
27°  2/  30" 


32°  yJ 


When 
found- 
ed. 


Es- 


650  20'  39"  24°  10'  59" 
680  45'39":32°53'  5" 
67O  i' i6"290  18' i5"i 
65O31'  7"240  47'2o"i 
68°  35' 30"  31°  31' 31" 
66°  15'  40"  33"  25'  45" 
60°  40'  "      ■ 


31°  39' 


640  22'i5"270  46'2o" 
65O  i7'ao"260  5o'  2" 


1535 
1580 
1882 
1680 

1573 
1588 

1778 

1592 
1559 
1591 
1582 
1561 

1597 
1527 

1S53 
1565 


Popula- 
tion by 
census 

of  1882. 


295,000 

*20,000 

*5,ooo 

39.651 
*io,oco 


*5,ooo 


* 


i^S.ooo 
10,000 
*5,ooo 

*IO,CXX) 

*io,ooo 

*5,ooo 

*io,ooo 


'■10,000 
*5,ooo 


1884. 


33^ 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


Table   of   Areas   and    Population    in   the   Argentine    Re- 
public. 


Names  of  Provinces. 


Buenos  Ayres 
Catamaica 
Cordoba  .  . 
Corrientes  .  . 
Entre  Rios  . 
Jujui  .... 
Mendoza  .  . 
Rioja  .... 
Salta  .... 
Santa  Fe  .  . 
San  Jnan  .  . 
San  Luis  .  . 
Santiago  .  . 
Tucuman  .  . 
Territories 

Total  .    .    . 


Area    in    square 
miles. 

Population        in 
1882      as     per 
Gove  rnmcnt 
estimate. 

Popula- 
tion to 
square 
mile  of 
area. 

83,121 

907,000 

10  — 

92,764 

102,000 

1  + 

83,498 

320,000 

3  + 

48,369 

204,000 

4  + 

43,938 

1 88, COO 

4  + 

32,259 

66,000 

2  + 

60,139 

99,000 

1  + 

42,778 

87,000 

2  + 

60,378 

167,000 

2  + 

45,291 

187,000 

4  + 

40,157 

91,000 

2  + 

48,997 

76,000 

1  + 

42,063 

158,000 

3  + 

25,199 

178,000 

7  + 

415,731 

112,000 

1,168,682 

2,942,000 

Classification  of  the  population  of  the  Argentine 
Republic  by  nationality. 


Argentines 

.     2,578,255 

Italians 

123,641 

French 

55,432 

Spanish     . 

59,022 

German     . 

8,616 

English     . 

17,950 

Various     . 

99,084 

Total 

.     2,942,000 

OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


337 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 


BOLIVIAN   LA   PLATA. 


The  valleys  separating  the  several  ranges  of  the 
Argentine  highlands  afford  the  most  accessible  en- 
trances to  the  Bolivian  Provinces  of  Tarija,  Cocha- 
bamba,  Chuquisaca  and  Potosi,  which,  with  the 
southern  part  of  the  Province  of  Santa  Cruz, — an 
area  larger  than  the  three  combined, — are  drained 
by  the  affluents  of  Rio  de  La  Plata.  This  portion 
of  Bolivia  has  always  found  the  ports  on  these  rivers 
its  most  convenient  medium  of  foreign  commerce. 
Cochabamba  compares  in  size  with  Maine  and  in 
general  climate  with  Louisiana,  although  it  has 
every  variety  of  temperature,  with  perpetual  snow 
on  the  mountain  summits  and  cacao,  palms,  and 
sugar-canes  in  the  valleys.  The  area  of  Chuquisaca 
is  about  equal  to  that  of  Maine  and  Louisiana  com- 
bined, and  of  Potosi,  to  Wisconsin.  These  are  all 
on  the  elevated  plateau  of  the  Andes,  traversed  in 
all   directions   with   abrupt  mountain   ranges  which 

p         to  29 


338 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRLES 


constitute  one  of  the  richest  metalliferous  districts  yet 
known  to  man.  Its  nature  is  well  expressed  in  the 
name  Potosi,  an  eruption  of  silver.  The  tops  of  the 
numerous  ridges  in  this  district  have  been  literally 
honey-combed  with  mines,  and  the  rich  veins  are 
now  followed  more  laboriously  to  greater  depths. 
From  1545,  when  these  mines  were  discovered,  to 
1789  they  had  yielded  a  billion  dollars  in  silver,  and 
still  yield  annually  about  one  and  a  quarter  millions. 
Their  products,  run  into  blocks  like  huge  clock 
weights,  are  mostly  shipped  to  England  from  Ro- 
sario  and  Buenos  Ayres,  whither  they  are  conveyed 
by  overland  passage.  "  The  London  and  River  Plate 
Bank"  has  a  remunerative  business  in  this  traffic. 

No  portion  of  South  America  contributed  more 
than  this  to  the  aggrandizement  of  Spain,  and  none 
suffered  more  during  the  war  of  independence.  It 
was  the  first  to  declare  itself  against  Spanish  au- 
thority and  the  last  from  which  the  Spanish  minions 
were  expelled.  The  first  and  the  last  bloodshed  in 
that  fifteen  years*  war  watered  its  soil.  So  resolute 
were  the  inhabitants  in  the  prosecution  of  their 
purpose  that  the  women  armed  themselves  in  the 
defence  of  their  homes  and  "  for  the  sacred  cause  of 
liberty."  Hemmed  in  on  all  sides  by  rival  nations, 
that  have  as  often  shown  themselves  actuated  by 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


339 


petty  jealousy  as  by  brotherly  love,  Bolivia  has  had 
as  much  difficulty  in  maintaining  its  independence 
as  in  securing  it.  It  has  also  had  less  opportunity 
to  receive  the  impulse  of  progress  from  the  outer 
world,  and  in  consequence  of  its  isolation  has  re- 
mained more  intolerant  of  foreign  thought,  more 
illiterate,  and  more  bigoted  in  religion. 

A  few  years  ago,  the  demand  in  Europe  for  agri- 
cultural fertilizers  proved  that  the  guano  beds  of 
Western  Bolivia,  Peru,  and  Chili  were  a  more  avail- 
able source  of  profit  than  their  mines.  The  result 
was  a  war  between  these  nations,  in  which  the 
coveted  guano  beds  were  the  real  apple  of  discord. 
In  the  Chili-Peruvian  war.  Chili  claimed  that  Bolivia 
was  the  tool  of  Peru,  that  the  latter  nation  was  the 
door-keeper  over  Bolivia's  single  port  of  entry  on 
the  Pacific,  and  that  so  long  as  she  remained  so 
Chili  could  not  be  safe.  With  this  plausible  reason- 
ing, backed  by  her  power  of  arms,  she  seized  Bolivia's 
one  desert  Province  bordering'  on  the  ocean,  with  a 
ten  years'  proviso,  and  in  1883  closed  the  war.  In 
the  mean  time  the  United  States,  the  Argentine  Re- 
public, and  Brazil  had  unavailingly  offered  friendly 
mediation.  On  the  cessation  of  hostilities.  Chili 
exacted  a  tax  of  fifty  per  cent,  on  all  merchandise 
carried  through  it  to  Bolivia,  as  Peru  had  formerly 


340 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRLES 


done.  Brazil  hastened  to  offer  to  open  the  Madeira 
River  for  the  commerce  of  Bolivia,  and  to  make  it 
navigable,  and  charge  no  kind  of  duty  oh  goods 
forwarded  thereby.  The  Argentine  Republic  also 
offered  the  free  use  of  its  ports  to  its  land-locked 
neighbor,  and  passed  such  legislative  enactments  as 
to  make  the  offer  effective. 

During  the  year  1883,  in  which  the  Chili-Bolivio- 
Peruvian  war  was  closed  so  disastrously  to  Bolivia, 
the  imports  of  that  country  were  but  little  more  than 
six  million  dollars,  and,  notwithstanding  the  dis- 
turbed state  of  the  country,  were  equalled  by  its  ex- 
port in  silver  alone.  All  other  exports  during  the 
year  were  a  little  more  than  half  that  sum.  Nearly 
all  of  this  export  reached  its  foreign  market  through 
the  Argentine  Republic.  By  muleback  it  followed 
the  old  route  from  Potosi  to  Jujui,  a  distance  of 
three  hundred  and  ten  miles;  thence  by  muleback, 
carts,  and  the  railroad  to  Rosario ;  thence  by  the 
Parana  River. 

The  Argentine  legislation  of  1S83,  with  regard  to 
Bolivian  commerce,  resulted  in  granting  to  mer- 
chandise intended  for  Bolivia  the  right  to  pass 
through  Argentine  territory  free  of  all  duty.  The 
railroads  and  transportation  companies  placed  their 
warehouses  and  transportation  routes  at  its  service 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  34 1 

at  one-half  the  rate  charged  on  goods  to  be  used  in 
Argentine  territory.  Still  further  to  reduce  the  cost 
of  transit,  government  placed  post-houses  along  the 
carrcta  route  from  Rosario  to  La  Paz,  the  capital  of 
Bolivia,  and  an  agency  was  established  at  Rosario, 
with  a  large  number  of  mules  and-  bullock  carts,  for 
this  traffic.  The  caravans  that  carry  merchandise  to 
Bolivia  return  with  its  precious  metals  and  other 
articles  of  export.  It  was  in  connection  with  these 
events  in  Argentine  legislation  that  the  President  of 
Bolivia  urcred  her  Con2;ress  to  charter  a  railroad 
from  the  Bolivian  capital  to  connect  with  the 
Northern  Central  Argentine  Railroad  at  Jujui. 
Thus,  partly  through  a  guano  war,  the  **  chimerical" 
Andine  Railway,  connecting  the  mouth  of  the  La 
Plata  with  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  becomes  a  degree 
less  mythical.  Bolivia  also  immediately  set  about 
the  exploration  of  the  Pilcomayo  River,  and  found 
that  through  it  she  has  an  available  water  thorough- 
fare from  near  the  centre  of  her  territory  to  the 
Atlantic,  a  discovery  that  doubly  tends  to  direct  her 
commerce  southward.  It  is  highly  probable,  there- 
fore, that  not  only  the  trade  of  these  five  Provinces, 
formerly  a  part  of  the  Viceroyalty  of  Buenos  Ayres, 
but    of  all   Bolivia   will    find    its    way   through    the 

mouth  of  the  La  Plata. 

29* 


^•2  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES. 

Comparatively  a  small  proportion  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  Bolivia  are  of  unmixed  Spanish  descent,  or 
•ise  the  Spanish  language.  The  mass  of  the  people 
are  tnv,  descendants  of  the  old  Inca  nation  who 
dwelt  heio  before  the  discovery  of  America,  speak 
their  language,  end  retain  their  frugal,  industrious 
habits  and  simplicity  or  \\?&,  maintained  with  a 
species  of  silent  stoicism,  possibly  the  inheritance 
of  generations  of  hopeless  servitude  and  wrong. 


PART    III. 


HISTORICAL  RETROSPECT. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

DISCOVERY   AND   COLONIZATION. 

Four  hundred  years  ago  Spain  and  Portugal  were 
among  the  most  powerful  nations  of  Europe.  The 
greed  of  gold  was  a  Spanish  mania,  while  commerce 
was  the  ruling  passion  of  Portugal,  as  it  is  now  of 
her  old-time  ally,  England.  These  national  manias 
for  gold  and  commerce  impelled  to  adventures  on 
unknown  seas  to  effect  an  easier  passage  for  the 
commerce  of  India,  and  the  gold-dust  of  Africa 
was  poured  into  the  lap  of  Portugal.  With  in- 
flamed cupidity,  Spain  increased  her  swarm  of 
adventurers,  literally  ready  to  go  beyond  earth's 
remotest  bounds. 

The  Papal  throne  was  then  at  the  zenith  of  its 
power,  and  he  who  wore  the  triple   crown   claimed 

the   whole  world,   as    God's   vicegerent,   and    kings 

« 

meekly  laid  their  necks  beneath  his  foot  in  token 
that  all  were  tributary  to  him.  Hence,  when  Colum- 
bus had  demonstrated  the  fact  that  land  existed  in 

345 


246  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

the  west,  the  faithful  Ferdinand  made  haste  to  secure 
the  Pope's  sanction  and  confirmation  of  his  title  to 
that  already  discovered  and  what  might  yet  be 
found.  This  confirmation  Pope  Alexander  VI. 
readily  granted.  But,  while  it  was  true  that  Spain 
was  the  right  arm  of  the  Papal  power,  it  was  no 
less  true  that  Portugal  was  its  equally  effective 
left  arm;  and,  in  order  not  to  prejudice  a  grant  of 
the  right  of  discovery  that  had  already  been  made 
to  Portugal,  the  astute  vicegerent  drew  a  line  from 
north  to  south  through  both  poles,  and  granted 
to  Spain  all  lands  lying  west  of  it  that  had  been 
or  might  be  discovered,  while  those  lying  to  the 
east  of  it  should  belong  to  Portugal.  The  map  on 
which  Alexander  VI.  drew  this  famous  line  was  still 
preserved  in  the  Borgia  library  at  Veletri  in  1797. 
Southey  assures  us  that  if  his  holiness  had  also 
been  solicited  for  a  share  by  his  faithful  son,  the 
King  of  France,  he  would  as  readily  have  drawn  two 
lines  as  one.  The  attempt  to  secure  a  share  in  the 
prize  at  a  later  period  by  force  of  arms  was  but 
indifferently  successful. 

Fortified  by  the  Papal  sanction,  Spain  sent  Co- 
lumbus on  his  second  voyage.  Subsequently  nav- 
igators from  the  rival  powers,  directing  their 
course    southward,    touched   the    mainland   of   the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  347 

continent  of  South  America  at  various  points,  un- 
til in  18 1 5,  Solis,  sailinj^  under  the  Spanish  crown, 
entered  the  river  which  now  bears  the  name  La 
Plata.  Near  the  same  time  a  Portuguese  fleet  on 
its  way  to  India,  driven  from  its  course,  entered 
the  same  stream.  Although  both  powers  acknowl- 
edged the  absolute  and  infallible  nature  of  the 
Papal  authority,  each  was  willing  to  so  twist  the 
line  the  Pope  had  drawn  as  to  secure  to  himself  the 
advantages  of  these  discoveries.  As  subsequent 
expeditions  revealed  more  clearly  the  importance 
of  the  territory,  the  more  difficult  did  it  become  to 
apply  the  straight  line  drawn  by  Alexander  VI.  on 
paper  to  the  inequalities  of  the  earth's  surface. 
When  wars  had  been  waged,  the  succeeding  truce 
left  the  subject  in  dispute  no  nearer  an  adjustment. 
When  treaties  were  made  for  the  settlement  of  the 
boundary  question,  and  the  commissioner  of  either 
power  was  sent  out,  the  commissioner  of  the  other 
power  was  in  no  manner  certain  of  making  his  ap- 
pearance. The  earliest  and  most  reliable  description 
of  the  country  and  people  north  of  the  Parana 
River  was  written  by  Azara,  the  Spanish  commis- 
sioner, who  vainly  waited  there  twenty  years  for 
his  Portuguese  colleague.  After  three  centuries  of 
heart-burnings,  bloodshed,  and  broken  treaties   the 


348 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


boundary  question  was  no  nearer  a  solution.  So 
unwieldy  a  thing  did  a  Pope's  line  prove  to  be ! 
By  the  treaty  of  Ildefonso,  the  two  powers  mutually 
waived  any  advantage  that  might  accrue  to  either 
by  that  grant. 

The  Spanish  conquest  of  Peru  and  the  discovery 
of  gold  and  silver  in  the  Andean  regions  stimulated 
efforts  to  explore  the  interior  of  the  La  Plata  terri- 
tory, in  order  to  secure  an  easier  transit  to  Europe 
for  the  spoils  of  Peru  than  the  routes  by  Panama 
and  Cape  Horn.  This  led  to  the  establishment  of 
colonies  or  supply  stations  along  the  course  of  the 
great  river,  and  Buenos  Ayres,  Santo  Espiritu,  Santa 
Fe,  Concepcion,  and  Asuncion  were  successively  es- 
tablished, and  went  through  all  the  vicissitudes  that 
have  attended  the  planting  of  colonies  throughout 
America.  Being  at  the  point  deemed  most  acces- 
sible for  the  overland  part  of  the  traffic  to  transfer 
itself  to  the  water  thoroughfare,  Asuncion  became 
the  capital  of  the  Spanish  possessions  in  the  La 
Plata  valley  eighty-three  years  before  the  landing 
of  the  Pilgrim  leathers  on  Plymouth  Rock. 

It  has  often  been  asserted  that  Spain  destroyed  a 
higher  type  of  civilization  in  the  New  World  than 
she  established.  When  South  America  was  invaded 
by    Europeans    the    Inca    nation    represented    the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  340 

highest  type  of  civilization  on  the  continent.  Its 
seat  of  government  was  at  Cuzco,  one  degree  north 
and  two  degrees  west  of  the  head-waters  of  the  Ber- 
niejo  River. 

In  the  two  or  three  centuries  preceding  the  advent 
of  the  white  man,  by  a  peaceful  policy  within  its 
borders  and  wars  of  conquest  around  them,  the 
Inca  dynasty  had  extended  its  authority  over  tribe 
after  tribe  of  the  aborigines,  until  the  empire  ex- 
tended from  4°  south  latitude,  eighteen  hundred 
miles  along  the  Pacific  coast  and  eastward  over  the 
Andean  table-lands.  Its  eastern  limit  is  not  known, 
but  its  fossil  history,  the  Quichua  language,  is  still 
the  vernacular  of  the  peasantry  throughout  Bolivia, 
as  also  in  the  Argentine  Provinces  of  Mendoza,  San 
Juan,  San  Luis,  Rioja,  Salta,  Tucuman,  and  Santiago 
del  Estero, — a  patient,  laborious  class,  whose  features 
show  their  unmistakable  Indian  origin.  It  is,  how- 
ever, conjectured  that  the  presence  of  the  Quichua 
language  and  race  in  the  last  two  Provinces  named 
may  have  resulted  rather  from  tribes  who  escaped 
eastward  at  the  time  of  or  after  the  Spanish  conquest 
than  as  proving  this  remote  extension  of  the  empire. 

The   Inca  nation,  which   has   left   monuments   of 

architecture,  aqueducts,  and   causeways   that  excite 

the  astonishment  of  modern  engineers,  and  that  had 

30 


oqo  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

brought  agriculture  to  a  higher  degree  of  perfection 
than  South  America  has  since  known,  consisted  of 
two  distinct  classes,  which  overlay,  included,  ab- 
sorbed, and  more  or  less  perfectly  assimilated  all 
tribal  differences.  These  were  the  nobility  and  the 
peasantry.  The  nobility  consisted  wholly  of  those 
of  Inca,  or  royal  blood.  To  them  all  learning,  cul- 
ture, authority,  and  applied  executive  ability  were 
confined.  The  government  was  an  absolute  des- 
potic theocracy,  but  in  its  application  was  entirely 
patriarchal.  The  whole  great  nation  of  working- 
people  were  a  family  whose  every  interest  was 
guarded  by  the  crown,  and  whose  every  want  was 
provided  for  by  its  forethought.  All  enterprises, 
even  the  minutiae  of  family  details,  were  executed 
by  the  Inca  through  the  nobility,  who  were  all  his 
kinsmen.  The  cultivation  of  the  earth  and  the 
storage  of  the  harvest,  the  care  of  the  flocks  and 
manufacture  of  clothing  were  conducted  by  the 
same  unvarying  thoughtfulness  of  the  ruling  class. 
One-third  of  the  earth's  produce  was  set  aside  for 
the  maintenance  of  their  religion,  one-third  for  the 
support  of  the  royal  family,  and  one-third  for  the 
people.  Storehouses  were  provided  for  these  sev- 
eral divisions  of  the  produce,  and  from  the  people's 
store  each  family  drew  its  allotment  according  to 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  35  I 

its  numbers.  The  aged  and  the  sick  were  prov^'ded 
from  the  common  store.  The  labor  system  was  as 
equitably  maintained.  Each  had  his  allotted  labor, 
and  all  went  to  work  under  their  noble  overseers  at 
the  specified  time.  None  were  suffered  to  be  idle, 
none  were  overworked,  and  none  were  allowed  to 
suffer  want.  Newly-conquered  tribes  were  incor- 
porated into  the  same  general  plan,  and  soon  be- 
came an  integral  portion  of  the  empire.  Prescott 
says  of  the  Inca  system  that,  while  it  precluded  the 
possibility  of  physical  want,  it  was  of  all  kinds  of 
government  the  least  adapted  to  develop  a  thought- 
ful people,  capable  of  self-government.  Thus,  the 
Spaniards  found  in  the  northwestern  border  of  the 
La  Plata  basin  a  nation  of  domesticated,  skilful,  do- 
cile laborers,  ready  trained  to  their  hands ;  and  had 
they  been  as  humane  as  the  nobility  they  displaced, 
their  memory  would  be  less  execrable. 

East  of  the  Paraguay  and  Parana  Rivers  was  the 
Guarani  nation,  the  most  numerous,  most  docile, 
and  most  intelligent  branch  of  the  great  Tupi  family 
of  Indians  that,  with  many  tribal  distinctions,  was 
scattered  throughout  Brazil.  The  Guaranis  had 
settled  homes,  and  subsisted  chiefly  by  agriculture. 
Being  a  domestic  people,  they  had  made  some 
advance  in  the  arts  of  civilized  life,  but  had  nothing 


352 


LA    PLATA    COUNTRIES 


corresponding  to  the  elaborate  organization  of  the 
Incas.  The  government  of  each  tribe  was  purely 
patriarchal,  and  executed  only  through  the  loving 
allegiance  of  a  simple,  affectionate  people  for  their 
chiefs.  As  no  great,  ruling  mind  had  been  developed 
among  them  or  had  taken  possession  of  them,  there 
was  not  found  among  them  the  artificial  advance- 
ment called  civilization.  The  historian  Southey 
says  that  to  compare  them  with  the  surrounding 
tribes  is  to  compare  civilization  with  barbarism ;  but 
to  compare  them  with  the  great  nation  of  the  West 
is  to  compare  the  darkness  of  midnight  with  the 
effulgence  of  noonday.  The  friendly  disposition  of 
the  Guaranis  determined  the  location  of  Asuncion, 
the  first  Spanish  capital  of  the  La  Plata,  and  secured 
its  pre-eminence  during  the  first  century  of  Spanish 
occupation. 

Between  the  Inca  and  the  Guarani  nations,  occu- 
pying the  great  central  plains,  were  warlike,  roving 
bands  of  Indians,  whom  the  peculiar  civilizing 
agencies  of  sword  and  rapine  maintained  by  the 
conquerors  could  never  subdue.  Throughout  the 
colonial  period  the  isolated  cities  were  subject  to 
their  marauding  incursions,  as  are  the  frontier  set- 
tlements of  to-day. 

By  the  Pope's  grant,  not  only  the  lands  discovered, 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


353 


but  also  the  people  who  occupied  them,  became  the 
inheritance  of  the  Spanish  monarch.  To  make  the 
gift  remunerative  he  made  grants  of  large  tracts  of 
lands,  first  to  the  discoverers  and  conquerors,  after- 
wards to  royal  favorites,  reserving  to  the  crown 
one-fifth  of  all  gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones  dis- 
covered. Later,  the  royal  fifth  included  all  articles 
of  export,  and  the  royal  prerogative  assumed  a 
monopoly  of  all  commerce  with  the  colonies. 

The  royal  governors,  who  thus  received  the  land 
from  the  crown,  again  divided  it  among  their  fol- 
lowers, who  were,  unfortunately,  not  always  the 
most  enlightened  representatives  of  their  nation. 
On  the  contrary,  those  who  succeeded  the  royal 
family  of  the  Inca  in  the  management  of  his  people 
were  unscrupulous  adventurers. 

There  were  two  systems  by  which  the  natives 
were  turned  over  to  the  mercy  of  their  conquerors. 
The  first,  or  repartimeiito  system,  allotted  to  each 
Spaniard  a  certain  number  of  Indians  as  laborers  or 
servants.  They  were  his  personal  property  and  emol- 
ument for  services  to  the  crown.  The  second,  or 
enco))iicnda  system,  granted  the  lands  to  the  cavaliers 
and  commended  the  Indian  residents  thereon  to  their 
care  as  laborers.     These  could  not  legally  be  forced 

from  their   former  places  of  abode  nor  sold.     But, 
X  30* 


354  ^^    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

among  a  conquering  people  with  whom  might  was 
right,  little  scruple  was  made  as  to  legality  when 
self-interest  prompted  other  than  the  letter  of  the 
law.  While  there  were  technical  differences  be- 
tween the  two  systems,  the  practical  result  was  that 
under  both  the  aborigines  became  slaves,  beasts  of 
burden,  to  their  conquerors.  From  them  has  de- 
scended the  present  rural  population  of  the  same 
region,  with  an  admixture  of  the  blood  of  the 
dominant  race. 

To  found  a  city  was  the  first  care  of  the  royal 
favorite  who  had  received  a  grant  of  land.  This 
was  done  with  impressive  ceremonies.  The  site 
having  been  selected,  a  square  was  laid  out  for  the 
chief  plaza  of  the  city  yet  to  be,  and  in  the  centre 
of  this  square  a  post  was  set  up  and  dedicated  by 
anointing  it  with  oil,  and  orations  were  pronounced. 
The  sides  of  the  streets  fronting  this  plaza  were  set 
apart  severally  to  the  cathedral  and  the  accompany- 
ing ecclesiastical  buildings,  the  governor's  palace, 
and  the  government  house  and  jail.  The  streets  of 
the  city  were  next  laid  out  in  parallels,  crossing 
each  other  at  right  angles.  The  city  being  thus 
founded,  without  as  yet  a  dwelling  or  an  inhabitant, 
the  enslaved  natives  were  set  to  work  to  rear  the 
public  buildings,  and  the  governor  set  up  his  semi- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


355 


re^ral  court  with  more  magnificence  than  many  of 
the  royal  houses  of  Europe  could  conmiand.  The 
adventurers  who  flourished  on  his  patronage  like- 
wise set  their  vassals  to  building,  and  the  new  city 
in  the  Spanish  Indies  became  a  reality, — a  morsel 
of  old  Spain  set  down  in  the  solitude  of  the  Amer- 
ican wilderness.  The  governors  were  subject  to  a 
viceroy  appointed  by  the  king. 

The  subjugation  of  those  wilds,  the  cultivation 
of  the  earth,  was  no  part  of  the  plan  of  these  early 
citizens.  Their  one  object  of  desire  was  the  wealth 
to  be  dragged  from  the  mineral  stores  of  the  moun- 
tain chains  and  poured  at  their  feet  by  the  enslaved 
Indians.  Only  enough  land  was  tilled  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  the  towns  to  supply  its  immedi- 
ate wants.  In  general,  these  early  settlers  expected 
to  remain  only  long  enough  to  acquire  sufficient 
wealth  to  secure  for  themselves  "  castles  in  Spain." 
Notwithstanding  this,  many  of  them  did  remain, 
and  the  old  families  of  the  gcjite  decente  class  trace 
their  descent  from  them. 

Throughout  the  colonial  period  the  governors 
were  always  appointed  by  the  crown  and  came 
direct  from  Spain,  and,  after  their  term  of  office, 
returned  thither.  Not  infrequently  youths  born 
in   the   cities    were   sent   to    Spain  to  be  educated. 


356  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

Hence  in  each  of  the  Spanish-American  cities,  with 
its  few  hundred  freemen  and  numerous  slaves,  were 
to  be  found  a  few  individuals  of  as  high  culture  as 
in  the  mother-country.  The  spontaneous  wealth  of 
their  adopted  countiy  encouraged  in  them  the  de- 
mand for  the  luxuries  of  civilization,  which  could 
only  be  secured  from  Spain.  The  several  cities, 
now  capitals  of  the  Spanish  Provinces  of  the  La 
Plata,  were  established  during  the  first  century  after 
the  discovery  of  America.  Of  these,  Tucuman  was 
the  most  important  in  the  Viceroyalty  of  Peru  east  of 
Lima,  and  in  a  subsequent  subdivision  of  territory 
was  the  capital  of  the  Intendenxia  of  Tucuman. 

The  policy  of  Irala,  who  succeeded  Cabeza  de 
Vaca  as  Governor  of  Asuncion,  was  in  marked 
contrast  with  that  of  contemporaneous  governors. 
He  devoted  his  whole  energy  and  influence  to 
establish  an  agricultural  nation  in  this  "  garden  of 
the  New  World,"  "  the  Paradise  of  the  Paraguay." 
To  this  end  he  encouraged  marriages  between  the 
colonists  and  natives,  believing  that  the  prosperity 
of  the  nation  would  be  promoted  by  fusing  with 
the  natives  rather  than  by  exterminating  or  enslav- 
ing them.  The  mixed  race  that  was  thus  developed 
on  the  banks  of  the  Paraguay  differed  from  the 
mixed  race  that  had  sprung  from  the  alliances  of 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


357 


the  adventurers  of  the  western  portion  of  the  conti- 
nent with  the  subjugated  natives,  in  that  these  had 
all  the  rights  and  social  position  of  the  white  race, 
and  that  the  white  settlers  had  adopted  the 
country  as  theirs.  The  Guarani-Spanish  nation  of 
Paraguay  was  an  intensely  patriotic  people.  As  it 
was  easier  for  the  Spaniards  to  learn  the  Guarani 
tongue  than  for  the  natives  to  acquire  the  language 
of  the  foreigners;  also,  as  the  language  of  the  mother 
is  the  natural  language  of  the  child,  it  came  about 
that  the  Guarani  was  the  language  of  the  Province, 
although  an  attempt  was  made  to  educate  some  of 
the  upper  class  in  Spanish.  This  difference  in  lan- 
guage made  another  strong  contrast  between  the 
Province  of  Asuncion,  or  Paraguay,  and  its  neigh- 
boring Provinces  owning  the  same  foreign  allegiance. 
Within  less  than  a  century  after  the  discovery  of 
the  continent  the  Spaniards  had  absorbed  both  of 
the  working,  docile  nations,  and  in  both  sections  a 
mixed  race,  mingled  with  pure  Castilians,  was  the 
result ;  but  the  method  in  the  two  sections  was 
entirely  distinct,  and  the  results  aimed  at  totally  at 
variance.  So  far  as  it  is  now  possible  to  define  it, 
Irala's  was  the  true  American  thought, — a  homo- 
geneous nation  from  diverse  nationalities.  So  strong 
was  his  individuality,  and  so  strongly  did  he  impress 


358 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


his  influence  on  the  people,  that  for  half  a  century- 
after  his  death  the  colony  did  not  swerve  from  the 
path  he  had  marked  out  for  them.  But  for  agencies 
arising  after  his  death,  there  is  no  reason  apparent 
why  the  nation  he  founded  should  not  have  become 
one  of  the  greatest  in  the  New  World.  This  is  not 
the  place  to  consider  the  agencies  that  thwarted 
that  greatest  scheme  of  a  Spanish  governor.  The 
one  physical  geographical  cause  that  assisted  in  its 
subversion  was  the  want  of  seaboard,  and  hence 
the  impossibility  of  that  moral  and  social  impulse 
imparted  by  contact  with  other  nations.  This 
disadvantage  was  scarcely  noticeable  during  the 
colonial  period,  as  Spain's  colonial  regime  consisted 
not  only  in  the  isolation  of  the  colonies  from  the 
rest  of  the  world,  but  isolation  from  each  other. 

National  aggrandizement  from  colonial  subjuga- 
tion was  the  cardinal  doctrine  of  Spain.  Hence 
inter-colonial  trade  was  prohibited.  The  whole  com- 
mercial policy  was  absolute  hostility  to  the  colonies 
of  the  La  Plata.  Some  merchants  of  Seville  and 
Lima  got  the  monopoly  of  the  commerce  of  Peru 
(which  then  meant  Spanish  South  America),  and  the 
further  to  favor  them,  edicts  were  issued  to  shut  off 
all  communication  between  Europe  and  the  La 
Plata  colonies. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


359 


For  more  than  a  hundred  years  our  Fourth  of 
July  has  execrated  the  memory  of  George  III.  But 
we  can  Httle  realize  what  cause  we  have  for  thank- 
fuhiess  that  the  North  Atlantic  seaboard  did  not 
fall  into  the  hands  of  Spain. 


360  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 


DIVERSE   INHABITANTS. 


During  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries 
Portugal's  mania  for  commerce  was  gratified  by  the 
production  of  sugar  along  the  Brazilian  Atlantic 
frontier,  which,  according  to  the  prevailing  idea  of 
the  age,  demanded  slave  labor.  To  supply  this  de- 
mand, tribe  after  tribe  of  the  Tupi  nations  was  kid- 
napped, until  slave-hunting  in  the  interior  became 
one  of  the  chief  employments  of  the  Portuguese 
settlers,  none  of  whom  exceeded  the  inhabitants  of 
Sao  Paulo  in  the  prowess  displayed  in  this  enter- 
prise. For  a  long  time  this  was  the  most  southern 
Portuguese  settlement,  an  almost  independent  re- 
public, situated  in  the  mountains  that  communi- 
cated with  Santos  on  the  coast. 

Like  the  Spaniards,  the  Portuguese  had  formed 
alliances  with  the  natives.  The  mixed  race  result- 
ing from  the  amalgamation  of  the  Portuguese  Pau- 
listas  and  the  fierce  Indian  tribes  bordering  on  the 


OF  SO  urn  America.  ^61 

sierras  (who  gave  to  our  language  the  word  buc- 
caneer) were  called  Alainclucos.  With  an  uncon- 
querable hatred  for  the  native  tribes,  the  Mamclu- 
cos  were  their  most  indefatigable  and  relentless  foes. 
Nor  did  they  stop  with  Spanish  boundaries.  The 
Pope's  imaginary  line  had  no  terrors  for  them. 
Their  slave-hunting  expeditions  against  the  Gua- 
ranis  Vv^as  the  first  extension  of  the  Portuguese 
claim  to  the  territory  of  Rio  Grande  de  Sul  and 
Eastern  Paraguay. 

In  the  determination  to  exclude  all  foreign  inter- 
course, the  Portuguese  policy  was  identical  with  the 
Spanish.  During  the  entire  three  hundred  years  in 
which  Brazil  was  a  dependency  of  Portugal,  none 
save  Portuguese  ships  were  allowed  to  anchor  in 
Brazilian  ports.  And  although  the  concession  was 
finally  wrested  from  Portugal  to  allow  the  ships  of 
its  allies,  in  case  of  extremity,  to  enter  these  ports 
for  repairs  and  provisions,  neither  officers  nor  men 
were  allowed  to  go  on  shore  save  under  the  escort 
of  a  guard  of  Portuguese  soldiers ;  so  jealous  was 
the  home  government  lest  any  part  of  its  com- 
merce should  be  smuggled  away. 

For  more  than  a  century  gold-hunting  and  slave- 
hunting  were  carried  on  simultaneously  in  Brazil, 
the  IMamelucos  takinij  the  lead  in  both.     When  the 


31 


362  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

search  for  gold  had  been  crowned  with  success  and 
the  discovery  of  diamonds  was  added  to  the  Portu- 
guese dream  of  wealth,  these  discoveries  induced 
increased  vigilance  to  prevent  external  association, 
as  gold-dust  and  diamonds  could  be  more  easily- 
smuggled  than  the  produce  of  sugar-mills  and 
coffee  plantations.  These  new  mining  industries 
also  increased  the  demand  for  slaves,  and  as  the 
native  supply  was  not  sufficient,  Portugal  supple- 
mented it  from  her  empire  in  Africa.  Thus  was 
introduced  the  third  element  in  the  mixed  popula- 
tion of  Brazil.  Spain  also  coveted  this  base  of 
labor  supply  to  replace  the  deficiency  caused  by  her 
inhuman  treatment  of  her  Indian  subjects,  and,  as 
the  Pope  had  granted  her  no  share  in  Africa,  the 
one  instance  in  which  she  swerved  from  her  policy 
of  colonial  seclusion  was  the  clause  in  the  treaty  of 
Utrecht,  by  which  Spain  granted  to  England  the 
right  to  send  four  ship-loads  of  slaves  annually  to 
Peru.  One  of  these  ships  was  to  be  entered  at  the 
port  of  Buenos  Ayres.  Thus,  the  first  foothold  that 
the  British  lion  gained  in  the  La  Plata  valley  was 
as  a  trafficker  in  human  flesh.  On  the  first  oppor- 
tunity Spain  abrogated  the  concession,  not  from  det- 
estation of  the  trade,  but  from  dread  of  the  traders. 
But  the  Trojan   horse  had  been  admitted,  and   its 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  363 

hostile  hordes  could  never  again  be  wholly  expelled. 
As  smugglers  no  people  ever  excelled  these  con- 
scienceless free-trade  allies  of  the  Portuguese,  who 
afterwards,  taking  advantage  of  European  mutations, 
at  different  times  made  armed  invasion  of  the 
La  Plata,  and  twice  gained  a  brief  control  over 
the  cities  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Although 
they  could  not  maintain  this  sovereignty,  in  spite 
of  all  the  precautions  of  Spanish  authorities  the 
British  and  Portuguese  managed  to  carry  on  a 
considerable  contraband  trade  with  the  Spanish 
colonists. 

During  the  three  centuries  of  colonial  rule  yet 
another  class  of  inhabitants  had  grown  up  in  isola- 
tion in  this  strangely  heterogeneous  world  of  iso- 
lations,— the  Gaucho  of  the  Argentine  plains.  There 
is  no  one  word  in  the  English  language  that  is  the 
equivalent  of  the  Spanish  word  Gaucho.  The 
Bedouin  Arab  or  Bashi-Bazouk  is  probably  more 
nearly  allied  to  him  than  any  other  class  known  to 
English  literature.  Through  Spain  he  points  back 
to  his  Saracen  ancestors.  Through  the  Spaniard 
he  is  the  descendant  of  the  Moors.  Through  the 
Spaniard  he  is  also  the  descendant  of  the  wild  tribes 
of  the  American  continent.  His  haughty  spirit 
scorned  alike   the   restraints    and    factitious   culture 


3^4 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


of  civilization.  Yet  was  he  not  without  his  own 
standard  of  honor,  his  own  ideas  of  manliness. 

Whence  originated  this  Gaucho  race,  the  Amer- 
ican Bedouin  that  has  borne  no  inconspicuous  part 
in  the  mutations  of  the  nineteenth  century  ? 

As  already  intimated,  the  Spanish  colonies  of  the 
La  Plata  were  isolated  cities,  between  and  far  be- 
yond which  extended  immense  tracts  of  territory 
over  which  no  real  civil  jurisdiction  was  established. 
The  rich  pasturage  of  the  prairies  supported  im- 
mense herds  of  cattle  and  horses,  thus  yielding  the 
ready  staples  of  existence.  Naturally,  there  strag- 
gled into  these  plains,  from  time  to  time,  those  who 
found  greater  enjoyment  in  the  boundless  wealth 
that  needed  no  minins:  than  in  intercourse  with  their 
fellows.  Just  as  naturally,  misanthropes,  fugitives 
from  justice,  and  outlaws  of  every  grade  sought  its 
solitudes.  All  these  became  **  squatter  sovereigns  ;" 
many,  indeed,  adding  to  this  title  royal  land  patents. 

With  the  few  slaves  necessary  for  the  marking 
and  marketing  of  his  increasing  herds,  the  Gaucho 
had  no  need  beyond  his  horse,  on  which  he  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  waking  existence,  and  by  the 
side  of  which,  with  his  saddle  for  a  pillow,  he  could 
contentedly  lie  down  for  a  night's  repose  wherever 
darkness  might  overtake  him. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  365 

In  its  local  significance,  society  was  to  him  an 
impossibility.  Mis  home  was  the  merest  hovel,  and 
its  isolation  gave  no  incentive  to  add  to  its  comforts. 
His  cattle  furnished  his  sole  diet,  and  wherever  he 
chanced  to  be  his  ready  knife  gave  him  the  means 
of  securing  his  favorite  morsel,  which,  roasted  over 
an  extemporized  fire,  appeased  his  hunger.  The 
remainder  of  the  slaughtered  animal  was  left  to 
earth's  scavengers, — the  fowls  of  heaven.  In  the 
Gaucho,  as  in  all  other  mixed  races  of  Spanish 
America,  there  was  a  blending  of  the  stolidity  of 
the  Indian  with  the  chivalric  suavity  of  the  Castil- 
ian,  the  simplicity  of  natural  instinct  with  the  punc- 
tilio of  exaggerated  etiquette. 

With  passing  generations  it  followed  that  the 
Gaucho  neither  knew,  needed,  nor  cared  for  the  arti- 
ficial wants  and  their  means  of  gratification,  so 
essential  to  his  half-brother  of  the  city,  and  alike 
despised  them  and  him  as  heartily  as  he  was  in  turn 
despised. 

These   strange    extremes   of    the   human    family, 

from   the   same  source,  had  one  trait  in  common, — 

the  utter  detestation  of  manual  labor.     Such   labor 

was  not  necessary  to  the  Gaucho,  whose  half-dozen 

slaves  found  only  pastime  with   him   in  the  care  of 

herds  grazing  over  thirty  or  forty  square   miles  of 

31* 


256  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

prairie ;  and  adventure  and  feats  of  physical  endur- 
ance were  courted  by  him  as  an  outlet  to  exuberant 
animal  life. 

There  are  those  who  date  the  origin  of  the 
Spanish-American  contempt  for  labor  and  the 
laborer  no  farther  back  than  the  era  of  the  revo- 
lution, but  all  the  circumstances  of  the  early  con- 
quest and  the  known  traits  of  the  Spaniard  give 
probability  to  the  older  version, — that  from  the 
beginning  those  who  in  Europe  were  mere  laborers, 
in  America  were  hidalgos ;  that  he  who  was  a  com- 
mon sailor  in  Spain,  in  America  scorned  to  be  any- 
thing less  than  a  merchant ;  and  that,  at  one  time,  so 
great  was  the  contempt  for  labor  and  the  laborer  that 
even  the  viceroy  could  find  no  freeman  for  service 
that  across  the  water  would  have  been  an  honor. 

Thus,  in  three  centuries,  had  grown  up  in  the  La 
Plata  territory  a  score  of  isolated  fragments  of  old 
Spain,  jealous  of  each  other  and  of  the  rulers  whom 
the  mother  country  placed  over  them,  remote  from 
each  other,  and  surrounded  on  the  one  hand  by  the 
Gauchos,  on  the  other  by  the  Mamelucos.  (These 
two  classes  were  allied  in  their  nature  and  had  many 
points  of  resemblance  in  their  lives,  and  in  Rio 
Grande  and  Uruguay  had  somewhat  fused  during 
the   contests    of    the   rival    nations    for   supremacy 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


.   367 


over  these  fertile  plains.)  The  highways  connecting 
the  cities  were  mere  mule  paths  or  cart  tracks,  worn 
into  ruts  by  washing  rains,  diverging  from  which 
over  the  prairies  the  caravans  were  the  legitimate 
prey  of  the  Gaucho  freebooter,  as  were  the  cargoes 
from  the  Asiatic  Indies  to  the  freebooters  of  the 
seas. 


368    .  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

WAR   OF   INDEPENDENCE. 

Without  a  possibility  of  general  information, 
with  no  means  of  general  education,  no  discipline 
of  thought,  no  participation  in  government  affairs, 
no  ideas  of  any  kind  of  government,  save,  an  abso- 
lute, despotic  monarchy  exercised  through  despotic 
subalterns,  the  one  political  aspiration  of  the  South 
American  Creole  was  an  equal  eligibility  to  offices 
of  trust  and  emolument  in  his  native  land  with 
subjects  born  in  Spain.  "The  divine  right  of  kings" 
had  never  been  questioned.  The  royal  fifth  had 
never  been  withheld.  The  royal  monopolies  had 
never  been  resisted,  save  by  foreign  smugglers. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  La  Plata  countries 
when  the  United  States  forced  itself  into  the  family 
of  nations  on  the  declaration  that  all  men  are  born 
free  and  equal ;  and  all  Europe  became  convulsed 
with  the  birth-throes  of  constitutional  liberty,  which 
resulted    in   awakening   the   towering   ambition    of 


OF  SO  urn  America.  369 

Napoleon  Bonaparte.  Spain  became  an  annex  of 
France,  with  Joseph  Bonaparte  as  a  figure-head  011 
the  throne. 

If  the  Spanish  hidalgos  of  South  America  had 
one  antipathy  above  all  others,  it  was  against  France, 
the  old-time  enemy  of  their  ancestors ;  and  when 
the  tardy  intelligence  reached  them  that  their  king 
was  virtually  a  captive,  they  scorned  the  allegiance 
Napoleon  proposed  to  them,  and  with  the  cry 
**  Long  live  Ferdinand  VII.,"  the  Spanish-American 
revolution  was  begun. 

It  is  thus  apparent  that,  up  to  the  time  of  the 
beginning  of  the  revolution,  there  was  not,  and  had 
not  been,  the  most  remote  likeness  between  the 
Spanish  colonies  and  the  immortal  thirteen  of  the 
North  Atlantic  coast.  These,  contiguous  to  each 
other,  with  a  community  of  interests  and  sympathies, 
disciplined  to  thought  and  accustomed  to  self-govern- 
ment and  some  participation  in  governmental  affairs, 
— these  rebelled  against  palpable  wrongs  which  they 
clearly  defined,  and  stood  for  a  principle  deemed 
greater  than  life.  The  South  Americans,  on  the 
contrary,  rebelled  solely  against  a  change  of  rulers. 

The    time-serving,   selfish    policy    of    the    acting 

governors,  who  had  been  appointed  by  the  deposed 

king,  prompted  them  to  accept  the  new  allegiance 
y 


370  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

offered,  in  order  thereby  to  retain  their  offices.  For 
this  act  of  base  subservience  the  Creoles  rose  against 
them,  perhaps  with  all  the  more  vehemence  because 
of  the  jealousy  with  which  they  had  long  coveted 
their  places.  In  imitation  of  the  loyalists  in  Spain, 
the  loyalists  in  America  appointed  committees  of 
citizens  to  rule  the  various  Provinces  in  the  name  of 
the  king,  all  of  which  committees,  called  juntos ^ 
swore  allegiance  to  Ferdinand  VII.  Thus  was  pre- 
sented the  anomaly  of  royalists  warring  against 
royal  governors ;  and  when  Ferdinand  was  again 
restored  to  the  throne,  the  further  anomaly  was 
presented  of  a  sovereign  denouncing  as  rebels  the 
subjects  who  had  never  swerved  from  their  allegi- 
ance, and  had  begged  the  privilege  of  avenging  his 
wrongs  and  restoring  him  to  his  throne. 

These  men  who,  because  of  their  loyalty,  now 
heard  themselves  denounced  as  rebels,  during  the 
interim  of  French  supremacy  had  tried  the  experi- 
ment of  self-government.  They  had  felt  the  throb- 
bing heart  of  the  Republic  that  had  sprung  to  life 
under  the  North  Star,  and  raised  their  ^y^?>  exult- 
ingly  to  the  Southern  Cross  which  shone  as  brightly 
over  them.  The  word  rebel,  coming  from  their 
liege  king,  made  them  rebels  against  all  kings  and 
kingcraft;  and   the  war  of  revolution   became   the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


371 


war  of  independence,  waged  for  fifteen  years  with 
not  a  whit  less  bravery,  not  a  whit  less  self-abnega- 
tion than  was  shown  by  our  revolutionary  fathers 
and  mothers  for  half  that  length  of  time.  Nor  was 
it  less  successful. 

Buenos  Ayres  was  foremost,  in  1810,  in  the  revo- 
lution against  the  disloyal  governors,  but  in  Tucu- 
man,  the  oldest  inland  capital  of  the  La  Plata,  six 
years  afterwards,  was  assembled  the  Congress  that  de- 
clared independence  of  foreign  rule.  Each  Spanish 
colony,  or  group  of  colonies,  being  an  independent 
government,  made  its  own  declaration  of  indepen- 
dence, and  each  helped  the  other  until  Spanish- 
American  colonies  ceased  to  exist. 

When  Napoleon  turned  toward  Portugal,  King 
John  escaped  to  his  colonial  possessions  in  Amer- 
ica by  the  help  of  a  British  squadron,  and  Brazil 
became  at  once  the  seat  of  royalty  and  the  empo- 
rium of  trade.  Raised  to  equal  rank  with  Portugal 
and  its  ports  opened  to  commerce,  new  life  throbbed 
through  the  Eastern  Provinces  and  broke  in  trem- 
bling pulsations  on  the  borders  of  Paraguay.  When 
the  furor  for  constitutional  rights  that  agitated  the 
two  hemispheres  a  little  later  swept  over  Brazil  also, 
King  John  yielded  to  the  popular  current,  and, 
turning   over  to  his  son,  Dom   Pedro,  the  regency 


372 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


of  Brazil,  hastened  back  to  his  ancestral  throne. 
Pedro  became  the  champion  of  constitutional  lib- 
erty, and  with  the  declaration  "  Independence  or 
death,"  thrilled  the  New  World  with  sympathy. 
With  an  almost  bloodless  struggle,  Brazil  became 
an  independent  constitutional  empire,  with  the  legal 
heir  of  the  house  of  Braganza  its  elected  emperor. 
When,  a  decade  later,  the  jealousy  of  Brazilian 
patriots  had  been  excited  against  Pedro  I.,  he  also 
abdicated  in  favor  of  his  son,  then  only  six  years 
old,  and  quietly  withdrew  to  Portugal. 

Like  Brazil,  Paraguay  gained  its  independence 
without  bloodshed,  through  the  wisdom  of  its  royal 
governor,  who,  seeing  that  the  storm  had  gathered 
and  must  burst,  simply  resigned  his  office  and  re- 
tired to  private  life,  and  by  wise  counsels,  where 
counsels  were  admissible,  aided,  where  aid  could 
best  be  afforded,  in  the  private  walks  of  humanity. 
But  the  easiest  victories  are  not  always  the  truest 
victories.     Poor  Paraguay's  hour  had  not  yet  come. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


373 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

PERIOD   OF   ANARCHY. 

When  it  was  seen  by  European  statesmen  that 
Spain  would  not  succeed  in  reducing  lier  rebellious 
colonies  to  subjection,  an  attempt  was  made  by 
European  diplomatists  to  replace  by  monarchial 
governments  the  incipient  republics  for  which  the 
Spanish-American  patriots  were  avowedly  contend- 
ing, and  to  place  scions  of  the  royal  families  of 
Europe  on  the  several  thrones  thus  created  in 
America.  This  attempt  was  frustrated  by  the 
declaration  made  on  December  2,  1823,  by  the 
President  of  the  United  States, — that  any  attempt 
on  the  part  of  the  powers  of  Europe  to  extend  their 
system  to  any  part  of  the  New  World  would  be 
regarded  by  the  United  States  as  dangerous  to  its 
peace  and  safety,  and  would  be  opposed.  President 
Monroe  further  expressed  the  genuine  sympathy 
felt  by  the  people  of  the  United  States  for  their 
revolutionary    neighbors,    by    first    appointing    ac- 


32 


374 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


credited  agents  to  visit  the  several  South  American 
countries  and  ascertain  their  condition  ;  and  after- 
wards by  recognizing  them  as  nations  and  sending 
fully-accredited  ministers  to  their  capitals.  The 
minister  accredited  to  the  La  Plata  Confederation 
arrived  before  any  plenipotentiary  from  any  other 
nation,  and  was  welcomed  in  Buenos  Ayres  with 
marked  rejoicing.  A  public  reception  was  given 
him,  and  when  he  died,  a  {q\n  months  later,  he  was 
buried  with  all  the  magnificence  possible  under  the 
circumstances,  and  a  subsequent  Congress  voted  him 
a  monument. 

In  1825  Spain  acknowledged  the  independence  of 
all  her  continental  possessions  in  America. 

The  enthusiasm  of  the  people  of  the  United  States 
was  then  unbounded.  They  exulted  in  the  belief 
that  the  several  new  republics  "  were  about  to  enter 
on  the  same  great  course  of  prosperity  as  we." 
Europeans  also,  who  had  at  last  gained  the  long- 
coveted  entrance  to  the  land  of  the  silver  river, 
entertained  extravagant  hopes  and  untenable  plans 
for  securing  material  wealth.  But  North  Americans 
and  Europeans  were  alike  doomed  to  disappoint- 
ment. The  three  hundred  years  of  isolation  that 
had  kept  all  knowledge  of  the  internal  affairs  of 
the  colonies  from  the  world,  left  both  alike  at  fault 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


375 


in  their  estimates  of  the  people  and  the  possibilities 
of  their  immediate  future.  When  foreign  nations 
believed  the  revolution  ended,  the  real  revolution 
was  about  to  begin.  When  the  advocates  of  con- 
stitutional liberty  were  blinded  by  the  glamour  of 
the  word  independence,  and  believed  that  the  war 
had  been  fought  and  the  victory  made  secure,  the 
fires  which  should  blaze  up  into  fiercer  and  final  war 
between  internal  barbarism  and  civilization  in  the 
La  Plata  were  ready  to  be  kindled.  The  material 
for  a  great  internal  bonfire  had  been  accumulating 
since  the  day  that  the  Spanish  conquerors  first 
crossed  the  crest  of  the  Andes.  The  conditions  for 
the  fearful  holocaust  were  unexceptionable.  A  spark 
had  long  been  all  that  was  wanting  for  a  conflagra- 
tion ;  and  that  spark  had  been  furnished  by  the 
opportune,  congenial  activity  furnished  to  the  Gau- 
cho  population  of  the  plains  during  the  struggle  for 
independence. 

Until  iSiothe  Spanish  American  of  the  city  was 
not  a  political  factor.  From  that  time  until  1825  he 
was  the  only  political  factor,  save  the  foreign  parti- 
sans who  had  flocked  to  his  opened  port.  Although, 
to  gain  supremacy,  the  civilian  liad  not  been  loath  to 
call  to  his  aid  the  strong  Gaucho  arm  and  the  daunt- 
less   Gaucho    endurance,  the    Gaucho    himself   was 


2-r5  LA    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

not  a  political  factor  before  1827.  Up  to  that  time, 
according  to  Sarmiento, — and  we  have  no  better 
authority, — the  squatter  sovereign  of  the  plains  had 
not  had  a  political  thought.  Schemes  of  govern- 
ment were  nothing  to  him.  But  he  was  possessed 
of  unbounded  physical  capabilities,  and  the  excite- 
ment of  the  war  of  independence  that  permeated 
all  classes  had  called  these  into  exercise.  The 
word  independence  to  him  had  no  real  political 
significance,  because  in  the  very  nature  of  his  ex- 
istence he  was  independent  of  all  governments. 
Yet,  corresponding  with  his  life,  the  embodiment 
of  his  consciousness,  it  was  a  pleasant  word  to  his 
ear,  and  within  the  succeeding  decade,  repeated  by 
him,  came  to  express  the  idea  of  independence  of 
all  the  restraints  of  civilization,  against  which  his 
nature  was  inherently  at  war. 

The  La  Plata  Confederation,  which  had  a  brief 
existence  in  national  nomenclature,  was  a  confeder- 
ation or  alliance  for  commercial  interests  of  the 
southern  cities  of  the  former  Spanish  Viceroyalty  of 
Buenos  Ayres  west  of  the  Parana.  Of  these  the 
inland  cities  were  in  their  civilization,  culture,  and 
modes  of  thought  still  distinctively  Spanish,  while 
Buenos  Ayres,  by  the  influx  of  Europeans,  had  be- 
come comparatively  a  foreign  city,  as  New  York  is 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  377 

often  regarded  among  North  American  cities.  Ever 
since  the  admission  of  the  first  British  slave-ship, 
foreign  tliinkers  had  crept  in  and  foreign  thoughts 
had  gradually  taken  root.  Into  it  had  now  rushed 
foreign  partisans  representing  every  shade  of  opinion 
and  speculation  called  liberaL  From  1825,  Buenos 
Ayres  was  flooded  with  the  literature  of  Europe, 
and  the  literature  of  Europe  at  that  era  was  fiercely 
at  war  with  all  the  established  orders  of  society. 
The  onslaught  on  civil  and  religious  institutions, 
led  by  such  men  as  Rousseau  and  Voltaire,  that 
shook  Europe,  here  found  sympathy,  and  the  seed 
of  dissolution  sown  by  them  here  dropped  into  pro- 
pitious soil.  Rousseau's  Le  Contrat  Social  flew  from 
hand  to  hand,  and  this  new  country,  in  which  Eu- 
ropean institutions  had  been  demolished,  was  rec- 
ognized by  these  liberal  thinkers  of  Buenos  Ayres 
as  the  ready  arena  for  the  development  of  the  great 
social  experiment. 

The  first  Constitution  of  the  La  Plata  Confeder- 
ation was  adopted  amidst  the  unreal  and  unreal- 
izable expectations  natural  to  a  people  who,  without 
any  preliminary  training  or  fitness  for  framing  gov- 
ernments, had  within  the  brief  period  of  twenty  years, 
by  military  prowess  alone,  conquered  all  Europe,  so 

far  as   its   own   exigencies   had   brought   them   into 

32* 


2^8  ^^    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

contact,  and  imbibed  the  inflated  European  ideals 
of  the  period.  An  elaborate  system  of  government 
was  adopted,  designed  to  be  the  freest  of  the  free, 
the  most  liberal  of  the  liberal,  and  Rividavia  became 
the  first  President  of  the  La  Plata  Confederation,  as 
he  was  its  last.  The  generally  accepted  explanation 
of  its  short  existence  is  that  it  was  a  government 
designed  only  for  the  participation  of  the  cultured 
class, — that  is,  for  the  Spanish  Americans  of  the 
cities.  This  explanation  has  the  advantage  of  plau- 
sibility; the  only  objection  to  it  is  an  absence  of 
historical  accuracy.  The  truth  is  that  the  first  Con- 
stitution adopted,  and  the  only  administration  estab- 
lished under  it,  contemplated  the  cultivation  and 
education  of  the  masses.  Amnesty  laws.  Individual 
SECURITY,   Respect   for   property.   Responsibility 

OF  CIVIL  AUTHORITY,  EQUILIBRIUM  OF  POWER,  RE- 
LIGIOUS LIBERTY,  and  Public  education  were  its 
seven  pillars  which  were  to  uphold  a  glorious 
temple  of  liberty  and  protect  a  great,  enlightened, 
and  free  people, 

Robert  Owen  never  looked  forward  more  hope- 
fully to  the  disappearance  of  all  wrongs  through  the 
agency  of  a  communism  of  labor,  education,  and  fair 
treatment  than  did  Rividavia  and  his  compeers. 
Teachers  were  imported  from  Europe,  and  an  elab- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


379 


orate  attempt  made  to  establish  schools  for  the 
people.  The  press  was  established  and  learned  men 
from  Europe  brought  over  to  fill  the  editorial  chair. 
Immigration  and  foreign  commerce  were  invited, 
and  a  national  bank  established  to  encourage  trade. 
The  fault  of  the  first  Constitution  was  not  the 
want  but  the  excess  of  liberality.  The  real  cause 
of  its  short  continuance  was  its  stupendous  imprac- 
ticability, the  attempt  to  effect  at  once  the  work  of 
centuries.      Its   one  flaw  was,  it  ivas  imported.     A 

GOVERNMENT  FOR  THE  PEOPLE  AND  BY  THE  PEOPLE 
MUST  GROW  OUT  OF  THE  PEOPLE. 

■  The  sincerity  with  which  the  patriots  who  founded 
that  government  were  seeking  the  good  of  the  whole, 
and  accepted  the  idea  that  the  majority  should  rule, 
is  evidenced  by  the  willingness  with  which  Rivi- 
davia  resigned  his  position  when  he  saw  that  the 
government  was  unpopular.  Then  began  a  cycle 
of  anarchy,  a  reign  of  terror,  the  horrors  of  which 
were  never  exceeded  in  Rome  under  the  Caligulas, 
among  the  Kafirs  of  Africa,  or  the  hordes  of  Beloo- 
chistan,  the  continuance  of  which  bewildered,  con- 
founded, and  discouraged  those  who  had  with  such 
confident  enthusiasm  seen  the  new  republic  enrolled 
in  the  catalogue  of  nations.  It  is  needless  now  to 
bewilder  ourselves  in  trying  to  thread  the  mazes  of 


380 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


revolutions  and  counter  revolutions  that  ever  fed 
afresh  on  carnage,  in  which  the  names  of  Dorrego, 
Bustos,  Lavalla,  Artigas,  Quiroga,  Lopez,  and  others 
figure  as  so  many  human  demons,  which  revolutions 
culminated  in  making  Juan  Manuel  de  Rosas,  the 
Gaucho  descendant  of  the  Castilian  conquerors,  the 
master  of  the  La  Plata.  To  find  a  fitting  compari- 
son for  the  horrors  of  the  Rosas  administration, 
local  and  foreign  writers  have  exhausted  the  Neros, 
Caligulas,  Domitians,  and  every  other  tyranny 
known  to  history. 

Throughout  the  long  reign  of  anarchy,  during 
which  one  Gaucho  chief  after  another  gained  a  brief 
ascendancy,  no  city,  no  hamlet,  no  district  in  the  La 
Plata  territories  knew  any  government  save  absolute 
despotism;  the  one  absolute  despotism  overshad- 
owing the  other  absolute  despotism  only  as  the 
intellect  and  daring  or  intrigue  of  the  one  tyrant 
enabled  him  to  extend  his  sway  more  widely  than 
the  other,  all  of  which  was  disguised  from  the 
outer  world  under  the  captivating  words  "  Republic" 
and  "  Liberty." 

These  men — Quiroga,  Lopez,  Bustos,  Artigas, 
Rosas — were  all  born  to  rule.  Had  they  also  been 
bred  to  rule,  their  native  earth  had  drunk  less  of 
human  blood.      And  each  did  rule — Quiroga  over 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  381 

the  western  Provinces,  Lopez  over  Santa  Fe,  Bus- 
tos  over  the  Argentine  Mesopotamia — until,  under 
each,  civilization  shrank  away  and  mortals  cowered 
with  bated  breath, — until  Rosas,  grown  stronger 
than  the  others,  caused  tlie  earth  to  drink  their 
blood  also.  Then  he  reigned  alone  over  all  the 
Provinces  west  of  the  Parana  and  Paraguay  Rivers. 
Had  a  few  more  years  been  granted  him,  his  dream 
of  ruling  over  all  the  former  Viceroyalty  of  Buenos 
Ayres  might  have  been  realized. 

For  twenty-seven  years  after  the  resignation  of 
President  Rividavia  there  was  never  a  legislative 
assembly  convened  in  Buenos  Ayres,  and  if,  in  all 
the  La  Plata,  during  the  same  period,  there  was 
ever  a  vote  cast,  save  of  bayonets,  the  fate  of  the 
voter  was  beyond  hope. 

According  to  Sarmiento's  definition,  the  "  Uni- 
tario  party  was  civilized,  constitutional,  European; 
the  Federal  party  barbarous,  arbitrary,  South  Amer- 
ican." But  he  assures  us  that  in  the  civil  contests 
that  then  agitated  the  country  it  was  individuals 
and  not  principles  that  were  followed;  that  if  a 
**  Unitario"  leader  became  obnoxious,  the  "  Unitario" 
party  cried  out  for  "  Federalism."  If  a  "  Federal" 
leader  gained  too  great  supremacy,  a  would-be 
leader  under  him  revolted  and  cried  for  "  Unitarian- 


282  ^^    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

ism ;"  that  there  was  really  nothing  that  could  be 
depended  on.  Had  there  been  any  political  sta- 
bility among  the  people,  the  term  "  Unitario,"  as 
applied  to  a  political  party,  would  have  indicated 
those  who  were  in  favor  of  a  separate  republican 
government  (so  called)  for  each  Province,  to  be 
administered  by  its  own  people,  independent  of  all 
the  other  Provinces,  but  that  the  several  Prov- 
inces might  form  an  alliance  for  commercial  pur- 
poses. The  "  platform"  of  the  "  Federal"  party,  if 
it  had  one,  would  have  been  the  union  of  all  the 
Provinces  under  one  government.  The  more  in- 
telligent "  Unitarios,"  or  *'  Patriots,"  resisted  the 
"  Federalists,"  or  "  Patriots,"  because  they  under- 
stood their  federalization  to  mean  a  centralization 
of  power  as  a  means  of  oppression, — an  opinion 
justified  by  the  administration  of  the  "Federal" 
chief  Rosas,  who  arrogated  to  himself  the  titles 
of  **  The  Liberator"  and  "  The  Restorer  of  his 
Country,"  (Coins  bearing  his  image  and  these 
titles  are  still  occasionally  met.) 

"  Rividavia's  government  was  at  least  easy  and 
endurable  for  the  people.  He  never  shed  a  drop  of 
blood  nor  destroyed  the  property  of  any  one.  Rosas 
might  have  been  drowned  in  the  blood  of  his  victims, 
and  in  ten  years  he  spent  forty  million  dollars  from 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  -19,-^^ 

the  public  treasury  and  fifty  million  dollars  seized 
from  private  fortunes."  * 

There  is  a  time  to  everything  under  the  sun,  and 
at  last  the  time  came  when  feasts  of  human  ears, 
ox-hide  tombs  for  living  men,  and  horses  festooned 
with  human  heads  must  cease  in  the  land  which  the 
Creator  has  favored  with  every  natural  good.  Two 
causes  conspired  to  usher  in  this  time.  One  was 
that  long-suffering,  much-abused,  universal  senti- 
ment of  the  human  soul  called  patriotism  ;  the  other, 
that  vaunted  autocrat  of  the  human  pocket  called 
commerce.  And  never  has  Brazil's  maternal  dower 
served  a  nobler  purpose  than  when  it  prompted  a 
coalition  with  the  exiled  patriots  of  Argentina  to 
overthrow  the  monster  that  blocked  the  entrance 
of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata. 

The  few  years  that  had  intervened  between  the 
downfall  of  the  Spanish  dominion  and  the  rise  of 
the  Gaucho  supremacy  (represented  in  its  complete- 
ness by  Rosas)  was  the  only  period  in  which  the 
waters  of  the  great  river  had  been  open  to  the 
navigation  of  other  nations.  During  that  brief 
period  Brazil  had  practically  realized  the  advantage 
of  this  over  all  other  means  of  communication  with 

*  Sarniicnlo. 


384 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


its  La  Platean  possessions.  This  consideration  de- 
termined it  to  send  a  fleet  to  co-operate  with  the 
patriots  of  Argentina.  Rosas  was  defeated  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1852,  and  fled  to  England.  His  supremacy- 
had  forever  destroyed  the  old-time  prestige  of  the 
cities.  Never  again  could  their  relative  supremacy 
be  restored.  It  had  broken  down  the  isolation  of 
the  country  from  the  cities,  and  never  again  could 
the  rural  element  cease  to  be  a  factor  in  the  civili- 
zation of  the  land,  whatever  might  be  the  degree  of 
civilization  attained  or  attainable.  The  downfall  of 
Rosas  as  effectually  destroyed  the  Gaucho  suprem- 
acy. The  middle  wall  between  the  civilian  and  the 
rustic  was  effectually  trodden  under  foot.  Hence- 
forth the  word  Province  must  mean  town  and  terri- 
tory; rustic  and  civilian,  native  peasant  and  native 
prince.  Whatever  government  should  henceforth 
be  established  must  grow  out  of  the  capabilities  as 
well  as  the  needs  of  all  classes,  and  yield  homage  to 
the  excellencies  of  all.  Whatever  might  be  the 
nation  that  should  arise  from  the  remnants  of  these 
diverse  classes,  it  must  arise  from  the  united  frag- 
ments of  all. 

The  long,  dismal  period  of  Gaucho  revolution 
convinced  the  most  advanced  thinkers  of  the  "Uni- 
tario"  party  that  the   original   unitario   idea,  which 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


3S5 


would  constitute  each  Province  an  independent  gov- 
ernment, allied  only  for  commercial  ends,  would 
never  give  strength  for  self-defence,  and  hence  that 
a  genuine  federal  union  was  the  only  hope  of  future 
stability.  That  dismal  quarter  of  a  century  had  also 
given  to  exiled  Argentine  Unitarios  the  opportunity 
of  studying  other  governments  and  apprehending 
more  clearly  the  true  significance  of  the  terms 
Liberty,  Independence,  and  Federalism.  With 
this  clearer  apprehension  of  the  significance  of 
these  terms  was  coupled  the  clearer  apprehension 
of  the  possibility  of  attaining  them  and  of  how  the 
freedom  of  their  country  might  most  effectually  be 
secured.  Thus  the  patriots  of  the  "Unitario"  party 
became  true  federalists,  and  overthrew  the  "  Fed- 
eral" party  that  had  put  Rosas  into  power  and  was 
merged  in  him.  Or,  in  other  words,  the  most  in- 
telligent members  of  the  "  Unitario"  party,  having 
gained  this  new  idea  of  a  central  government  com- 
posed of  authorized  delegates  from  the  several  Prov- 
inces, each  of  whom  would  be  a  check  on  the  others, 
became  the  advocates  of  a  Federal  Argentine 
Unity,  instead  of  the  Provincial  Unity  which  they 
had  before  believed  the  only  safeguard  of  liberty. 
They  became  federalists,  but  not  "  F'ederals,"  as  the 
term  was  then  applied  to  the  political  party,  and  as 


386 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


federalists  overcame  the  "  Federals."  Having  suc- 
ceeded in  expelling  Rosas,  steps  were  taken  to  form 
a  Federal  Republic. 

But  another  lesson  had  yet  to  be  learned.  The 
trite  aphorism,  "  Experience  is  a  dear  school,"  must 
yet  have  one  more  illustration  among  these  hope- 
lessly hopeful,  struggling  aspirants  after  civil  liberty 
and  national  greatness.  The  jealousy  between  the 
city  of  Buenos  Ayres  and  the  cities  of  the  interior 
must  yet  be  broken  down.  Ten  more  years  were 
needed  for  the  learning  of  the  lesson  that  each  is 
equally  dependent  on  the  other,  and  that  neither 
jealousies  nor  distrust  are  compatible  with  national 
prosperity  and  foreign  respect.  The  reconstruction 
of  1862  recognized  this  fact,  and  from  that  recon- 
struction properly  begins  the  history  of  the  Argen- 
tine nation.  The  federalization  of  the  city  of  Bu- 
enos Ayres  removed  the  last  vestige  of  a  cause  of 
jealousy.  The  fifty  years  preceding  the  recon- 
struction of  1862,  as  has  been  seen,  was  merely  a 
gloomy  period  of  transition.  Yet  it  may  be  ques- 
tioned whether  in  any  portion  of  the  globe,  in  any 
era  of  the  world's  history,  a  greater  transition  has 
taken  place  in  the  habits  and  modes  of  thought,  or 
whether  any  people  in  the  same  length  of  time  has 
taken    a   longer    stride    towards    true    development. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


3S7 


With  the  reconstruction  of  1862  (which  was  the 
veritable  consolidation  of  the  several  previous  re- 
constructions) a  broad  foundation  was  laid  on  which 
to  construct  national  greatness.  This  foundation 
was  formed,  not  from  the  imposed  plans  of  specious 
theorists,  but  from  a  knowledge  of  national  needs 
and  national  capabilities.  Old  tastes  and  preju- 
dices, old  modes  of  thought  and  narrowness  of 
vision,  must  yet  have  forbearance.  But  it  was  then 
made  apparent  that  the  day  had  dawned  when  from 
the  diverse  elements  already  described  there  came 
the  possibility  of  a  homogeneous  people.  The 
National  Constitution  chosen  for  this  homogeneous 
people,  after  its  various  modifications,  is  almost  an 
exact  reproduction  of  that  of  the  United  States,  ex- 
cept in  the  one  important  particular  of  the  recog- 
nition and  support  of  a  state  religion.  The  fourteenth 
article  of  the  Constitution  may  be  regarded  as  the 
Magna  Charta  of  Argentine  liberty.     It  reads, — 

"All  the  inhabitants  of  the  nation  shall  enjoy  the 
following  rights,  according  to  the  laws  which  regu- 
late their  exercise:  viz.,  to  labor  and  to  practise  all 
lawful  industry;  to  trade  and  navigate;  to  petition 
the  authorities ;  to  enter,  remain  in,  travel  over,  and 
leave  Argentine  territory ;  to  publish  their  ideas  in 
the  public  press  without  previous  censure;  to  enjoy 


388 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


and  dispose  of  their  property ;  to  associate  for  useful 
purposes ;  to  profess  freely  their  religion ;  to  teach 
and  to  learn." 

Of  the  fifteen  Provinces  that  for  so  many  years 
bewildered  the  world  and  themselves  with  the  con- 
fused cry  of  **  Unitario"  and  "  Federal,"  Uruguay  is 
now  the  only  representative  of  the  "  Unitario"  idea 
of  government.  If  it  were  possible  to  say  which  of 
the  fifteen  Provinces  has  suffered  more  than  the 
others  in  the  vicissitudes  growing  out  of  the  anoma- 
lous life  of  the  Spanish  possessions  of  the  La  Plata, 
that  unenviable  pre-eminence  must  be.  accorded  to 
the  "  Banda  Oriental  del  Uruguay."  With  the  same 
internal  incongruities  of  population,  and  the  same 
universal  trait  of  intolerance  of  equals,  characteristic 
of  the  Spaniard, — now  annexed  to  Brazil ;  now 
claimed  by  the  Confederation ;  now  besieged  by 
the  English ;  now  bombarded  by  Buenos  Ayres 
"  Patriots ;"  and  now  invaded  by  Brazilian  "  defend- 
ers,"— in  all  its  vicissitudes  it  was  rent  by  civil 
factions.  By  the  treaty  of  1859  its  national  indepen- 
dence and  territorial  integrity  were  guaranteed  by 
Great  Britain,  Brazil,  and  the  Argentine  Republic. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


389 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

ANCIENT   RELIGIONS. 

"  Was  there  any  real  question  of  religion  in  the  Argentine  Re- 
public ?  I  would  deny  it  utterly  if  I  did  not  know  that  the  mc^re 
barbarous  and  irreligious  a  people  is,  the  more  liable  it  is  to  preju- 
dice and  fanaticism." — D.  F.  Sarmiento,  in  "Recollections  of  a 
Province." 

The  various  tyrants  of  the  La  Plata  ruled  because 
they  had  the  strong  ruling  nature.  They  ruled  as 
tyrants  because  their  education  fitted  them  for  tyran- 
nical ruling.  The  people  submitted  or  rebelled  as 
their  education  fitted  them  for  submission  or  rebel- 
lion. Education  is  a  long  growth.  Ideas  change 
slowly.  One  thought  at  a  time  is  grasped  and 
woven  into  the  mental  woof  that  clothes  and  cloaks 
the  spirit  life.  The  theology  of  a  people  is  its 
aggregate  inheritance  of  religious  thought.  Al- 
though the  revolutions  of  the  La  Plata  were  not 
religious  wars,  it  is  not  irrelevant  to  inquire  what 
inheritance  of  religious  thought  had  contributed  to 

o 


390  J^A   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

the  education  of  a  people  whose  history,  during 
fifty  years  of  the  present  century,  reads  so  like 
a  troubled  dream  that  one  could  fain  wish  it  were 
only  a  dream. 

Historians  tell  us  that  there  was  a  time  when  the 
various  aboriginal  tribes  of  the  American  continent 
held  to  the  sublime  idea  of  one  God  who  fills  all 
space,  by  whom  all  things  are  created,  and  who 
would  be  dishonored  by  any  attempt  at  visible  rep- 
resentation. A  temple,  concerning  the  building  of 
which  history  knows  nothing,  dedicated  to  this 
invisible  being,  anciently  stood  near  the  present  site 
of  the  city  of  Lima,  and  to  it  devout  Indians  made 
long  pilgrimages.  They  believed  also  in  a  future 
state  of  rewards  and  punishments  and  in  the  resur- 
rection of  the  body.  But  it  appears  that,  like  others 
groping  without  the  light  of  revelation,  they  could 
not  live  up  to  their  sublime  conception. 

At  the  advent  of  the  white  man  the  Inca  nation 
represented  the  highest  religious  development  on 
the  continent.  According  to  their  tradition  all  the 
American  tribes  were  sunk  in  the  grossest  idolatry 
and  practised  the  most  abominable  rites,  when  the 
Sun,  the  great  source  of  life,  out  of  compassion  for 
their  degradation,  sent  down  his  two  children, 
Manco  Capac  and  Oella  Huacco,  to  teach  them  the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


391 


arts  of  civilization.  They  brouglit  with  them  a 
golden  wedge,  and  were  instructed  to  take  up  their 
abode  where  it  should  of  its  own  accord  sink  into 
the  earth.  The  Inca  capital,  the  city  of  Cuzco,  was 
accordingly  built  around  the  spot  where  this  event 
took  place,  and  which  itself  was  crowned  with  the 
Coricancha,  the  great  temple  of  the  sun,  the  most 
magnificent  building  on  the  continent,  in  whose  con- 
struction, it  is  said,  twenty  thousand  men  were  em- 
ployed fifty  years.  It  is  doubtful  if  any  building 
in  the  old  world  was  more  magnificently  adorned. 
The  great  image  of  the  sun,  in  the  semblance  of  a 
human  face,  from  which  radiated  lines  made  of 
precious  stones,  was  made  in  the  gold  plate  that 
covered  the  inner  wall  on  which  the  first  rays  of  the 
sun  shone  at  its  rising.  The  decorations  of  this 
temple  were  all  of  gold, — "  the  tears  wept  by  the 
sun," — mingled  with  precious  stones.  The  decora- 
tions of  the  temple  of  the  moon,  the  queen  of 
heaven,  that  adjoined  it,  were  of  silver.  Three  or 
four  hundred  smaller  temples  were  also  dedicated  to 
these  deities  in  that  city,  and  every  village  in  the 
empire  had  its  temple  of  the  sun. 

The  arrival  of  the  two  children  of  the  Sun  in  the 
plains  of  Titacaca  is  estimated  to  have  been  about 
twelve  hundred  years  after  God   had   sent  his  Son 


ng2  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

into  the  world  to  redeem  mankind.  But  no  mes- 
senger had  reached  these  distant  ones  v/ith  the 
Gospel  of  his  love,  and  they  were  accordingly  left 
to  the  kindly  ministrations  of  Manco  Capac,  who 
gathered  them  into  villages  and  taught  them  agri- 
culture, and  of  Mama  Oella  Huacco,  who  taught 
the  women  to  spin.  Whoever  this  sun  pair  may 
have  been,  wherever  they  may  have  come  from,  or 
at  what  particular  era  the  tradition  may  have  been 
invented,  from  it  was  developed  a  complete  system 
of  theology,  vying  in  its  perfection  of  detail  with 
those  of  China,  Hindostan,  and  Egypt, .to  each  of 
which  it  bore  analogy. 

By  virtue  of  his  divine  origin  and  direct  descent, 
the  ruling  Inca  was  head  of  both  church  and  state, 
which  was  one  and  the  same.  Everything  in  the 
civil  policy  of  the  Inca  had  a  religious  bearing. 
Everything  in  the  religious  policy  had  a  civil 
bearing.  Church  and  state  were  identical.  While 
the  ruling  Inca  was  head  of  the  church,  his  brother 
or  nearest  kinsman  was  the  great  high-priest,  and 
all  high-priests  throughout  the  empire,  as  well  as 
all  officiating  priests  of  the  capital,  were  of  the  royal 
blood.  Inferior  provincial  priests  were  often  of  the 
families  of  the  chiefs  of  the  conquered  tribes. 
Owing  to  their  acknowledged   celestial   origin,  the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  3^3 

Inca  priests  needed  the  prestige  of  no  distinctive 
dress,  and  wore  only  that  of  the  noble  class. 

There  were  three  orders  of  priests, — those  who 
ministered  in  the  temples,  and  hence  had  little  com- 
munication with  the  people;  those  who  were  em- 
ployed as  instructors  of  noble  youths  or  visitors 
among  the  peasantry ;  and  those  who  went  out 
among  the  wild  tribes  to  teach  them  the  true  wor- 
ship of  the  sun.  For  the  Inca  never  forgot  that  it 
was  his  great  mission  to  convert  the  heathen. 

The  Inca  asserted  his  claim  to  superiority  by 
magnificent  clothing  of  the  finest  vicuna  wool,  richly 
embroidered  with  gold  and  gems.  His  head-dress 
was  a  turban  of  many  folds,  surrounded  with  a 
fringe  denoting  royalty,  and  decorated  with  two 
feathers  of  a  sacred  bird.  His  mode  of  hfe  was  in 
a  corresponding  style  of  magnificence.  Even  the 
highest  noble  might  not  enter  his  presence  unless 
barefoot  and  carrying  a  burden.  But  when  he  en- 
tered the  great  temple  of  the  sun  to  worship,  he, 
too,  laid  aside  his  shoes  in  token  of  humility.  At 
intervals  he  made  journeys  through  the  empire,  car- 
ried on  a  gold-embroidered  litter  borne  on  the 
shoulders  of  men,  with  a  rich,  canopy  carried  over 
his  head,  preceded  by  the  royal  standard  (whose 
device  was   the   rainbow),  bands   of  musicians,  and 


394 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRLES 


companies  of  priests,  and  followed  by  a  long  pro- 
cession of  attendants.  The  people  assembled  in 
crowds  along  his  route,  removed  every  straw  and 
pebble,  and  strewed  the  road  before  him  with  flow- 
ers. The  places  where  he  halted  in  these  journeys 
were  held  sacred  and  became  shrines  to  which  pil- 
grimages were  made. 

When  the  Inca  died,  or  "  returned  to  the  home 
of  his  father,"  his  body  was  embalmed,  dressed  in 
his  royal  attire,  and  seated  on  a  golden  chair  on  the 
right  side  of  the  image  of  the  sun  in  the  great 
temple,  with  folded  hands  and  bowed  head,  as  if  in 
adoration.  The  queens  were  in  like  manner  em- 
balmed and  ranged  on  the  left  side  of  the  temple. 
For  a  year  after  his  death  the  Inca  was  mourned 
with  great  pomp  and  many  processions.  The 
bodies  of  the  several  Incas  were  brought  out  on 
the  occasion  of  great  festivals  and  carried  through 
the  streets  under  rich  canopies,  preceded  by  music 
and  incense,  the  people  strewing  flowers  before 
them,  then  returned  to  their  place. 

The  chief  festivals  of  this  religion  were  those 
which  celebrated  the  solstices  and  equinoxes,  the 
greatest  of  the  four  being  that  of  the  summer  sol- 
stice, when  the  sun  had  reached  its  most  northern 
limit  and  again  turned  its  course  towards  its  chil- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  3^5 

drcn.  This  festival  was  preceded  by  a  three  days' 
fast.  On  the  great  day  of  tlie  festival  the  sacred 
fire  was  kindled  from  the  sun  by  means  of  a  con- 
cave mirror  of  polished  metal.  Then  a  procession 
was  formed,  the  magnificence  of  which  it  would 
have  been  difficult  to  surpass  in  any  country,  after 
which  a  sacrifice  was  offered  to  the  sun,  consisting 
of  incense  and  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  to  which  was 
added  a  slaughtered  llama.  On  very  rare  occasions 
a  human  victim  was  offered.  After  the  sacrifice  had 
been  offered  the  people  gave  themselves  up  to 
revelry  and  dancing,  of  which  they  were  exces- 
sively fond.  The  religious  festivals  were  the  only 
popular  assemblies,  and  with  them  were  sometimes 
combined  the  essential  elements  of  agricultural  fairs, 
or  bureaus  of  exchange.  They  also  furnished  to 
the  peasantry  their  only  recreation,  and,  alternating 
with  fasts  and  an  irregular  practice  of  confession 
and  penance,  made  up  the  externals  of  their  re- 
ligion, the  searching  nature  of  which  left  no  hidden 
thought,  neither  room  for  spontaneous  action  or 
moral  free  digtncy.  Obedience  was  the  one  cardi- 
nal virtue ;  because,  as  the  law-giver  was  divine,  to 
disobey  his  least  mandate  was  sacrilege  and  merited 
the  punishment  of  death.  The  good  and  the  wicked 
went  to  different  abodes  after  death,  and  the  future 


396  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

life  depended  on  the  state  of  the  individual  in  this. 
Some  doubt  seems  to  hang  over  the  question 
whether  immortality  was  for  the  common  people; 
but  no  cloud  obstructed  the  vision  of  the  higher 
class,  who  looked  forward  confidently  to  an  exist- 
ence of  elegant  repose.  Owing  to  their  descent 
from  the  sacred  pair  they  were  regarded  as  inca- 
pable of  doing  anything  wrong.  Because  of  this 
descent  the  nobility  held  the  monopoly  of  all  the 
learning  of  their  time,  and  had  many  other  special 
privileges.  The  great  law  of  progress  was  not  for 
the  common  people.  As  one  was  born  so  he  must 
die.  The  success  of  the  Inca  dynasty  v/as  the  re- 
sult of  the  supreme  control  which  this  idea  of  the 
divinity  of  the  Inca  gained  over  the  religious  na- 
ture of  his  subjects,  the  religious  nature  being  the 
strongest  element  in  the  triune  being,  man. 

The  houses  of  the  priests  adjoined  the  temples. 
Near  them,  also,  were  long,  low  ranges  of  stone 
buildings  surrounded  by  high  walls  that  entirely 
hid  their  occupants  from  observation.  These  were 
the  houses  of  the  **  Virgins  of  the  Sun,"  called  also 
"The  Elect"  and  "The  Brides  of  the  Church." 
These  virgins  were  selected  when  quite  young  from 
among  the  daughters  of  the  noble  class.  Daughters 
of  the  Indian  chieftains  and  even  of  the   common 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


397 


people  were  also  occasionally  chosen  when  distin- 
guished for  their  beauty.  On  entering  these  houses 
they  renounced  the  world  and  all  communication 
with  it.  They  were  henceforth  unknown  to  their 
own  families  and  friends.  They  were  instructed  in 
the  duties  of  their  vocation  by  women  grown  old  in 
the  service.  The  first  of  these  duties  was  the  care 
of  the  celestial  fire.  If  this  was  suffered  to  go  out 
during  the  year  it  was  regarded  as  the  harbinger  of 
a  national  calamity.  Their  further  duties  were  the 
manufacture  of  clothing  for  the  royal  household  and 
hangings  for  the  temples.  The  rich  embroideries 
of  gold,  silver,  and  gems  displayed  in  the  great  fes- 
tivals were  the  work  of  the  virgins  of  the  sun. 
None  save  those  having  the  care  and  inspection  of 
them  and  the  king  and  queen  were  allowed  to  enter 
these  houses,  the  inmates  of  which  were  destined  to 
become  the  Inca's  concubines,  and  at  his  pleasure 
were  removed  to  the  seraglios  of  his  numerous  pal- 
aces. When  the  number  in  any  seraglio  became 
inconveniently  large,  those  whom  he  designated  re- 
turned, each  to  her  native  place,  where  a  house  was 
provided  for  her,  in  which  she  lived  in  great  state, 
and  was  treated  with  marked  respect  as  the  Inca's 
bride. 

To  the  worship  of  the   sun  and   moon,  as  repre- 

34 


398 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


sented  by  the  Inca  and  his  sister-wife,  was  added 
that  of  the  rainbow,  the  principal  stars,  thunder  and 
lightning,  the  winds,  and  all  the  known  forces,  as 
well  as  the  most  striking  objects  of  nature,  such  as 
mountains,  rivers,  and  trees.  As  each  successive 
tribe  was  conquered,  the  images  of  its  gods,  together 
with  its  chief  men,  were  taken  to  the  capital  and 
provision  was  made  from  the  revenues  of  the  con- 
quered Province  for  the  maintenance  of  their 
worship.  Thus,  by  their  successive  conquests  and 
religious  toleration,  the  theology  of  western  South 
America  became  a  pantheism  scarcely  less  complete 
than  that  which  confronted  Paul  in  the  Grecian 
capital. 

To  the  missionary  nation  of  Inca  conquerors  came 
a  conquering  nation  with  more  destructive  weapons 
than  its  warriors  knew,  and  bearing  with  them  the 
symbol  of  their  faith.  This  conquering  people  were 
the  religious  heirs  of  a  succession  of  conquering 
nations,  each  of  which,  with  like  religious  toleration, 
had  added  the  gods  of  nations  they  conquered  to 
their  catalogue  of  objects  of  worship,  and  perhaps 
naturalized  them  with  national  names.  Through 
such  methods,  when  Rome  had  conquered  the 
world,  the  pantheon  represented  the  aggregate  in- 
heritance of  human  theology  in  the  countries  of  the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  3^^ 

Mediterranean.  In  the  course  of  time  this  pantheon 
admitted  the  cross  among  its  other  objects  of  wor- 
ship and  adopted  the  name  of  Christianity.  No 
principle  of  the  old  religion  was  violated  by  this 
change,  nor  was  any  cardinal  principle  of  Christi- 
anity admitted  with  it.  It  was  followed  by  the 
gradual  renaming  of  the  gods  and  goddesses  already 
held  in  veneration.  The  "  Magna  Deorum  Mater" 
took  the  name  Mary,  and  was  still  the  mother  of  the 
gods,  or  "The  Mother  of  God."  In  the  different 
modes  of  presenting  her,  she  is  Venus,  Minerva, 
Hygia,  Salus,  Diana,  and  a  score  of  others,  with  an 
extensive  retinue  of  inferior  goddesses  called  saints 
in  her  train.  In  time,  Jupiter  became  Peter,  who 
also  has  an  innumerable  retinue  of  subordinates;  and 
the  door  of  this  Christian  (?)  pantheon  was  left  ajar, 
with  a  pedestal  awaiting  every  mortal  whose  deifica- 
tion human  policy  might  suggest.  Instead  of  ad- 
vancing Christianity  by  its  nominal  adoption,  Rome 
placed  a  barrier  in  the  way  of  the  advancement  of 
its  principles  by  giving  a  factitious  Christian  nomen- 
clature to  faiths  with  which  it  was  radically  at  war, 
and  which  it  is  its  avowed  mission  to  destroy. 

The  dismemberment  of  the  Roman  Emnire  cfave 
an  impulse  to  the  propagation  of  the  renamed  my- 
thology of  Rome,  and  he  who  sat  upon  the  Seven 


400 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


Hills  still  aspired  to  rule  the  world.  With  less  of 
human  wisdom  than  had  been  shown  by  Manco 
Capac,  he  arrogated  to  himself  a  right  to  command 
universal  obedience,  based  not  on  an  inherent  divine 
nature,  but  on  a  delegated  divine  authority,  and 
subsequently  bolstered,  up  the  claim  by  the  assump- 
tion of  infallibility.  Controlling  the  conscience  by 
the  assumption  of  divine  authority,  and  blinding  the 
understanding  by  the  names  offered  for  worship, 
the  Pope  held  the  nations  of  Europe  as  no  emperor 
had  ever  held  them.  Then  religious  toleration 
ceased  to  be  a  dogma  of  the  Romish  Pantheon. 
To  worship  less  or  other  than  its  host  was  heresy. 
To  worship  any  god  by  other  mode  than  this  earthly 
vicegerent  prescribed  was  death.  With  all  the 
machinery  inherited  from  its  pagan  ancestry, — its 
images,  with  their  attendant  hosts  of  artisans  whose 
craft  would  be  lost  should  their  worship  cease,  its 
monastic,  mendicant,  and  various  priestly  orders,  its 
motto, — worship  as  I  worship  or  die, — the  Romish 
Church  went  forth  on  its  double  mission  of  civil  and 
religious  conquest  with  kings  as  its  servants. 

Comparatively  near  the  same  time,  in  the  decade 
of  centuries,  three  different  classes  of  missionary 
warriors  went  forth  to  force  the  world  to  accept 
the   only  true   faith, — the    Mohammedan    with    the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


401 


Koran  and  the  sword,  the  Romanist  with  the  Cross 
and  battle-axe,  his  path  flanked  by  the  flames  of  the 
inquisition,  and  the  Inca  with  the  rainbow  and 
waiting  quiver.  Of  the  tliree  we  can  but  ac- 
knowledge the  Inca's  methods  the  most  Christhke. 
The  crescent  replaced  the  cross  on  the  site  that 
consecrated  it,  and  the  cross  of  blood  and  fire  ex- 
tinguished the  rainbow  on  the  mountains  it  had 
mildly  spanned. 

The  temples  of  the  sun  were  ruthlessly  destroyed, 
and  the  gold  torn  from  their  walls  replenished  the 
coffers  of  Spain  for  its  holy  wars  against  infidels 
and   heretics.     A  Dominican  church  supplanted  the 

« 

beautiful  Coricancha  on  the  spot  made  sacred  by 
the  sinking  of  the  golden  wedge,  and  everywhere 
"the  idols  of  these  poor,  deluded  heathen  were 
replaced  by  images  of  the  Virgin  and  child"  and 
her  accompanying  satellites. 

In  effect,  the  Spanish  conquest  said  to  the  docile 
nation  of  the  West,  trained  for  generations  in  im- 
plicit obedience  to  the  human-divine  law,  "  Your 
Manco  Capac  is  a  heathenish  superstition.  The  Pope 
is  the  true  vicegerent  of  the  Almighty.  It  is  to 
him  that  all  power  in  heaven  and  earth  is  given;  it 
is  to  him  that  every  knee  must   bow ;  it  is  in  him 

and  his  delegates  that  all  wisdom  dwells.     He  holds 
ca  34* 


402 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


the  key  that  unlocks  the  abodes  of  future  bhss  or 
woe  ;  and  he  delegates  to  his  priests  the  power  to 
unlock  and  bar  them  at  will.  Your  divine  sister, 
queen  of  heaven,  is  a  device  of  the  devil,  the  fruit 
of  a  corrupt  imagination.  We  present  to  you  the 
true  queen  of  heaven  and  mother  of  God.  Direct 
your  petitions  to  her.  She  can  compassionate  you. 
Pour  out  your  treasures  at  her  feet.  She  can  succor 
you.  Clothe  her  with  your  richest  embroideries, 
keep  the  sacred  fires  always  on  her  altars,  and  let 
your  sweet  spices  exhale  incense  before  her,  that 
she  and  all  the  saints  may  intercede  for  you." 

In  the  religious  ceremonials  of  the  conquerors  the 
embalmed  bodies  of  the  descendants  of  the  fabulous 
celestial  pair  were  replaced  by  images  representing 
deceased  mortals  of  fabulous  lives.  Religious  festi- 
vals still  supplied  the  sole  recreation  of  the  people, 
the  only  respite  from  abject  toil  of  the  enslaved,  the 
only  occasions  on  which  the  people  assembled  to- 
gether. At  these  the  images  from  the  churches 
were  carried  through  the  streets  with  incense  and 
music,  while  the  streets  were  cleared  before  them 
and  strewn  with  flowers,  just  as  was  done  for  their 
mummy  prototypes.  The  houses  of  the  virgins  of 
the  sun  v/ere  replaced  by  convents  of  the  various 
sisterhoods    of    nuns,  also    called   "  Brides    of    the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


403 


Church,"  who  made  rich  tapestries  for  their  tem- 
ples, now  called  churches,  and  beautiful  vestments, 
embroidered  with  gold  and  gems,  for  the  images 
and  for  the  priests  who  ministered  before  them. 

The  priesthood  still  represented  a  favorite  class 
with  many  special  privileges,  and  upheld  their  au- 
thority among  the  common  people  by  the  magnifi- 
cence of  their  sacerdotal  vestments.  As  in  the  old 
dynasty,  the  priestly  and  cultured  class  monopo- 
lized the  learning  of  the  age.  They  were  the  sole 
teachers  of  youth,  and  with  them,  also,  all  the 
teaching  had  a  politico-ecclesiastical  signification. 
Obedience  to  civo-ecclesiastic  authority  was  still 
the  cardinal  virtue. 

There  was,  however,  one  marked  difference  be- 
tween the  creed  of  the  conquered  and  the  conquer- 
ors. The  god  of  the  Inca,  although  a  god  of  love 
and  beneficence,  held  no  parley  with  sin.  Every  sin 
merited  death.  In  the  theology  of  the  conquerors 
forgiveness  for  sins  already  committed  and  indul- 
gence in  sins  meditated  could  be  purchased.  This 
doctrine  placed  gold  above  obedience  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  Romish  god,  and  made  the  priest's 
measure  of  the  purse  the  arbiter  of  the  conscience. 
The  further  debasing  doctrine  that  "  the  end  justi- 
fies the  means,"  although  stoutly  combated  by  Las 


404 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


Casas,  the  noble  Dominican  champion  of  freedom, 
was  engrafted  on  the  theology  of  the  New  World. 

The  propagation  of  this  theology  was  not  left  op- 
tional with  the  conquerors.  By  the  terms  of  the 
contract  made  between  the  Pope  and  the  kings,  the 
Romanizing  of  all  conquered  countries  was  obliga- 
tory. For  this  purpose  each  company  of  adven- 
turers was  accompanied  by  its  quota  of  priests,  who 
were  instructed  to  explain  to  the  people  the  pri- 
mary doctrines  of  Christianity,  and  especially  to 
make  them  understand  that  the  Pope  held  the  su- 
preme authority  on  the  earth,  and  had  granted  the 
right  to  this  particular  portion  to  his  servant,  the 
king  (in  the  west,  of  Spain;  in  the  east,  of  Portugal), 
and  that  if  they  did  not  obey  and  embrace  Chris- 
tianity they  would  be  put  to  the  sword  and  their 
wives  and  children  reduced  to  bondage, — a  fate  from 
which  their  submission  and  baptism  did  not  save 
them.  But  while  the  rapacity  of  the  conqueror 
ruthlessly  destroyed  them,  "  He  gave  them  the  sign 
of  the  cross  as  an  inestimable  talisman  to  ward  off 
the  machinations  of  the  devil." 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


405 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

INFLUENCE  OF  THE  JESUITS. 

Within  forty  years  of  the  discovery  of  America, 
and  within  twenty  years  of  each  other,  two  men  in 
Europe,  destined  to  leave  their  impress  on  the  New 
World,  were  groaning  under  a  consciousness  of  sin. 
Both  made  pilgrimages  and  exhausted  established 
ceremonials  in  vain  ;  the  sense  of  guilty  alienation 
from  its  Creator,  at  some  time  felt  by  every  human 
soul,  still  weighed  them  down.  So  great  was  the 
agony  of  mind  under  which  both  labored  that 
each  tells  us  he  w^as  tempted  to  take  his  ow^n  life, 
and  cried  out  in  the  depths  of  his  despair,  "  Who 
will  save  me  from  the  body  of  this  death  ?"  Those 
two  men  w^ere  Martin  Luther  and  Ignatius  Loyola. 
Eventually  both  found  their  way  out  of  this  spiritual 
conflict,  but  by  entirely  different  means.  Luther 
turned  to  the  Bible  and  learned  that  '*  By  the  works 
of  the  law  shall  no  flesh  be  justified,"  and  **  The  just 
shall   live    by   faith."      Apprehending   the    sublime 


4o6  ^A   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

doctrine  of  reconciliation  with  God  through  Christ, 
without  works,  through  faith  in  Christ  he  rose  to 
newness  of  life.  Henceforth  he  would  allow  no 
visions,  no  inspirations.  The  "  simple,  indubitable 
Word  of  God"  was  his  foundation  and  strong  support. 
Standing  on  that  rock,  he  acknowledged  man's  indi- 
vidual accountability  to  God  alone.  Loyola  did  not 
turn  to  the  Bible,  and  leaves  no  intimation  that  any 
doctrine  of  the  Bible  particularly  impressed  him.  On 
the  contrary,  he  gave  himself  up  to  mystical  medi- 
tations. Convinced  by  his  awakening,  as  if  from  a 
dream,  that  the  agonies  to  which  he  had  .been  sub- 
jected were  the  work  of  the  devil,  he  determined 
not  to  think  longer  about  his  past  life;  and  to  open 
the  wounds  made  by  his  past  sins  no  more,  never  to 
touch  them  again.  This  act  of  the  will  needed 
no  support  from  the  Scripture,  and  the  peace  of 
mind  resulting  from  it  "was  based  on  a  belief  that 
he  was  surrounded  by  a  world  of  spirits,  with  which 
he  had  an  intimate  connection."  *'  He  lived  wholly 
in  fantasies  and  inward  apparitions."  From  that 
time  he  devoted  himself  to  mystic  meditations  and 
humiliations  of  the  flesh.  His  biographer,  Bartoli, 
in  his  work  published  in  1650,  says  he  "reduced  the 
cure  of  the  soul  to  an  art  by  basing  upon  certain 
principles    of   faith    an    exact    and    perfect    method, 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


407 


which,  practised  by   the  apph'cation   of   means    pre- 
scribed by  him,  is  ahiiost  infallibly  successful." 

For  their  instructor  in  righteousness,  Luther  gave 
to  his  followers  a  translation  of  the  Bible.  Loyola 
gave  to  his  a  volume  of  "  Religious  Exercises,"  in- 
culcating ceremonies  and  bodily  tortures,  which  lie 
at  the  foundation  of  the  Order  of  Jesuits  founded 
by  him.  Luther's  conversion  stamped  the  idea  of 
personal,  individual  accountability  to  God  on  the 
colonies  of  temperate  North  America,  and  thereby 
laid  the  foundation  for  the  superstructure  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty  and  intellectual  expansion. 
Loyola's  conversion,  if  such  it  can  be  called,  fixed 
the  moral  and  intellectual  status  of  South  Amer- 
ica. 

To  subjugate  the  world  to  the  Romish  Church 
was  the  object  to  which  both  Spain  and  Portugal 
had  bent  their  enerc^ies  and  for  which  thev  lavished 
their  resources,  and  yet,  even  in  Europe,  heresy  was 
rampant.  "  Torquemada  with  his  Holy  Inquisi- 
tion, and  Alva  with  his  hosts,  had  burned  and  slain 
thousands  of  victims  to  the  infinite  delight  of  their 
master,  Philip  II.,  and  yet  heresy  increased."  At 
this  juncture  Loyola  proposed  another  method  by 
which  to  subjugate  the  world, — a  method  that 
needed  no  armies  and  that  would  use  no  violence. 


4o8  L^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

The  world  was  to  be  brought  into  the  Papal  fold  by 
the  power  of  love.  Loyola  only  missed  the  true 
principle  of  Christian  conquest  by  so  far  as  he  had 
missed  the  fountain  of  Christian  truth.  Loyola  was 
a  humanitarian  to  all  save  his  own  body  and  his 
own  order,  as  were  also  his  early  followers.  The 
principle  upon  v/hich  the  early  Jesuits  went  out  to 
subdue  the  world  was  the  same  which  for  two  cen- 
turies the  Inca  had  practised  on  the  tribes  of  the 
New  World  before  resorting  to  war.  The  avowed 
object  of  Loyola  and  his  followers  was  to  bring  the 
mhabitants  of  the  world  to  the  feet  of  the  Pope. 
For  this  purpose,  and  no  other,  the  Bull  was  granted 
authorizing  the  order.  Had  the  Pope's  kingdom 
been  only  a  spiritual  one,  or  had  the  Order  of  Jesus 
been  organized  to  bring  the  world  to  God  instead  of 
to  an  earthly  vicegerent,  and  had  the  order  taken 
as  their  code  the  unalterable  Word  of  God  instead 
of  the  traditions  of  men,  there  had  been  less  room 
for  the  conflicts  that  afterwards  arose  between  its 
representatives  and  the  civo-ecclesiastical  authorities 
established  by  the  sovereigns. 

The  Papal  Bull  authorizing  the  Order  of  Jesus 
was  granted  in  the  same  year  that  Pizarro,  the  con- 
queror of  Peru,  was  slain,  which  was  ten  years  after 
the    doctrines    of  the    Reformation    had   been   pre- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


409 


sented  to  the  Diet  of  Augsburg.  Six  years  after 
the  estabh'shment  of  the  order  its  first  missionaries 
arrived  in  South  America.  Within  twenty  years  it 
had  a  chain  of  mission  stations  from  Rio  de  Janeiro 
to  Lima,  and  witliin  fifty  years  had  virtually  super- 
seded its  predecessors,  the  Franciscans  and  Domin- 
icans, as  educators  of  the  people,  both  native  and 
European.  Their  success  was  due  not  only  to  the 
favor  in  which  they  were  held  at  court,  but  espe- 
cially to  their  humanitarianism  ;  for  "when  the 
natives  saw  that  they  came  not  to  rob  them  of  their 
gold  or  silver,  nor  to  despoil  them  of  their  women, 
nor  to  drag  them  away  and  sell  them  into  slavery, 
they  eagerly  conformed  in  all  things  essential  to  the 
rules  and  doctrines  of  the  fathers."  Unfortunately, 
the  practice  of  self-denial  did  not  continue  to  char- 
acterize the  lives  of  these  foreign  teachers  of  mo- 
rality; and  the  doctrine  that  "the  end  justifies  the 
means,"  upon  which  the  rival  orders  were  built,  was 
not  made  ineffective  by  their  teachings.  Rivalries 
and  antagonisms  existed  between  the  several  re- 
ligious orders,  owing  to  which,  and  the  complaints 
of  the  Jesuits  that  the  interference  of  the  civil  gov- 
ernors of  Paraguay  was  inimical  to  the  conversion 
of  the  natives,  they  were  granted  authority  wholly 

independent  of  the  governors ;  and  thus  the  native 
s  35 


4IO 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


villages  in  Paraguay,  known  as  Reductioiis  and  Mis- 
sions,  were  a  kingdom  subject  only  to  the  Pope, 
within  the  kingdom  of  the  Spanish  monarch,  and 
authorized  by  him.  Here,  without  interference  from 
without,  they  had  two  centuries  in  which  to  develop 
the  full  scope  of  their  educational  ideas.  Here  they 
established  over  the  peaceful  Guaranis  on  the  Parana 
the  same  kind  of  civil  government  that  Pizarro  had 
just  destroyed  on  the  Andes.  The  people  were 
gathered  together  in  towns,  and  went  to  the  labor 
allotted  by  their  ecclesiastical  rulers  just  as  the 
peasantry  had  done  under  the  Incas.  They  owned 
no  land  and  held  no  property  rights  of  any  kind. 
The  most  skilful  workman  received  no  more  for 
his  labor  than  the  dullard,  and  each  had  just  what  a 
master  would  give  to  his  slave, — merely  the  food, 
raiment,  and  lodging  that  in  his  opinion  might  suf- 
fice. Without  volition  of  their  own,  they  were 
taken  to  work,  or  to  war,  wherever  their  religious 
rulers  saw  fit.  In  1580  they  rebuilt  the  city  of  Bu- 
enos Ayres,  and  in  1668  built  the  city  of  Santa  Fe. 
The  large  ecclesiastical  buildings  that  are  still 
pointed  out  as  the  marvels  of  the  Jesuits'  skill  were 
built  by  them.  Squadrons  of  them  were  sent  to  the 
wars  in  Uruguay  against  the  Brazilians  and  detailed 
to  build  Montevideo. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  4 1  I 

Children  belonged  to  the  Missions, — as  under  the 
Incas  they  had  belonged  to  tlie  Empire, — and  were 
educated,  fed,  and  clothed  under  its  direct  super- 
vision. They  were  made  artisans,  and  excelled  as 
wood-carvers,  silver-  and  gold-smiths ;  but  further 
than  this  their  education  was  wholly  confined  to  the 
recitation  of  a  few  prayer  formulas,  and,  in  excep- 
tional cases,  the  chants  of  the  choir  in  the  church 
service.  As  in  their  western  prototype,  there  were 
two  distinct  classes  of  beings  in  the  community, — 
the  holy  governing  class  and  the  common  governed 
class.  There  was,  however,  this  essential  difference: 
among  the  Incas  the  holy  orders  and  inferior  class 
were  both  natives  of  the  country,  and  in  all  their 
inherited  sympathies  and  interests  were  part  and 
parcel  of  the  same  nation.  In  the  Jesuits'  Reduc- 
tions the  privileged  class  came  from  another  land  in 
the  full  maturity  of  their  intellectual  powers,  and 
were  liable  at  any  time  to  be  transferred  to  new 
fields.  What  could  there  be  in  common  between 
them  and  those  whose  labors  they  had  at  their 
command?  Their  government  over  the  thirty  Re- 
ductions over  which  they  had  absolute  control  had 
the  same  effect  as  had  that  of  the  Inca, — it  devel- 
oped a  people  absolutely  incapable  of  self-direction 
and  self-preservation. 


412  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

While  the  government  of  the  Jesuits  was  absolute 
and  their  educational  efforts  untrammelled  within 
the  Reductions,  they  were  not  confined  to  these. 
Partly  through  the  superior  favor  in  which  the 
young  order  was  held,  and  partly  through  the  sub- 
tlety of  their  policy,  within  fifty  years  they  had  to  a 
great  extent  monopolized  the  instruction  of  youth 
throughout  the  La  Plata  country,  as  in  all  South 
America.  Like  their  master,  they  aimed  at  civil  as 
well  as  spiritual  control,  and,  to  attain  this,  "their 
most  subtle  policy  was  to  keep  the  keys  of  knowl- 
edge as  much  as  possible  in  their  own  hands,  and 
by  giving  gratuitous  instruction  to  the  youth  of 
wealthy  families,  to  proselyte  them,  and  through 
them,  or  by  their  aid,  to  govern  the  multitude." 
It  employed  itself  in  building  schools  in  connection 
with  its  churches  in  every  considerable  centre  of 
population ;  and  when,  for  political  reasons,  the 
Order  of  Jesuits  was  finally  expelled  from  Portu- 
guese and  Spanish  America,  its  university  at  Sao 
Paulo  was  one  of  the  most  noted  schools  in  Brazil, 
and  there  were  twelve  fully-fledged  colleges  and 
more  than  fifty  incipient  ones  in  the  territory  now 
represented  by  the  Argentine  Republic.  In  all  these 
''the  education  given  was  such  as  would  tend  to 
make  them  (the  pupils)  the  passive  subjects  in  the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


413 


hands  of  their  teachers,  and  instil  into  their  minds 
the  conviction  that  all  matters  of  government,  both 
civil  and  ecclesiastical,  should  be  left  to  the  fathers^ 
and  that  it  was  presumptuous  and  sacrilegious  for 
laymen  to  lay  claim  to  any  power  in  such  matters." 
A  prominent  Jesuit  father  openly  declared  that  the 
education  of  Americans  (of  European  descent)  should 
be  confined  to  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic.  An 
illustration  of  the  ideas  of  civil  government  incul- 
cated by  them  may  be  found  in  their  catechism, 
published  in  Cordoba,  in  which  the  duties  of  citi- 
zenship are  defined.  An  edition  of  this  catechism 
was  published  in  Paraguay  by  the  Franciscan  Bishop 
of  Asuncion,  after  the  declaration  of  independence, 
with  a  note  to  teachers  telling  them  "to  take  pains 
to  explain  to  the  children  that  in  the  word  king 
every  supreme  magistrate  is  comprehended."  En- 
dorsed at  so  late  a  date  by  a  bishop  of  the  order 
that  had  received  the  lion's  share  of  the  sequestered 
spoils  of  the  banished  order,  and  which,  after  the 
Jesuits,  was  the  chief  educator  of  the  people,  it  is 
safe  to  infer  that  that  catechism  was  not  an  insig- 
nificant factor  in  the  preparation  of  the  whole  people 
of  the  La  Plata  for  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of 
citizenship.     The  following  is  an  extract: 

"  The  state  by  its  organization  cannot  tolerate  or 


414  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

leave  unpunished  offences,  especially  those  which 
tend  to  annihilate  religion,  which  has,  since  its 
happy  union  with  the  state,  become  the  first  funda- 
mental law.  .  .  .  The  prison,  then  exile,  forced 
service,  the  scourge,  confiscation,  fire,  the  scaffold, 
the  knife,  and  death  in  whatever  form  are  penalties 
justly  put  in  force  against  the  disobedient  vassal.  .  .  . 

"  Question.  Is  the  vassal  obliged  to  accept  and 
suffer  penalties  ? 

''Answer.  Yes  ;  for  they  are  just  and  ordained  by 
law. 

"  Q.  Is  he  bound  to  execute  them  himself? 

"  A.  Yes ;  except  the  gravest  or  those  of  a  capital 
kind. 

''  Q.  And  must  he  aid  indirectly  to  execute  even 
these  ? 

**  A.  Yes ;  to  show  that  he  accepts  and  suffers 
them  patiently. 

"  Q.  What  is  meant  by  aiding  indirectly  ? 

''A.  To  mount  the  scaffold  to  be  hung,  or  to  bare 
the  throat  for  the  axe  if  beheaded  for  crime. 

"  Q.  May  the  king  impose  laws  upon  the  vassal  ? 

''A.  Yes;  for  God  has  given  him  legislative  power 
over  them. 

"  Q.  Can  he  impose  laws  that  shall  be  binding 
upon  their  consciences  ? 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


415 


"^.  Yes;  according  to  the  saying  of  the  apostle, 
*  Be  ye  subject,  not  only  for  fear  of  wrath,  but  also 
throuijh  conscientious  oblicfation.' 

"  Q.  That  laws  may  be  binding  is  it  necessary  that 
they  be  generally  known  ? 

'^ A.  No;  for  in  that  case  they  would  rarely  be 
binding,  as  it  is  not  easy  for  them  to  reach  the 
knowledge  of  all. 

"  Q.  Must  the  promulgation  of  the  laws  be  made 
to  all  the  cities  of  the  realm  ? 

"  A,  It  is  not  necessary,  and  it  is  enough  if  it  be 
done  at  the  court  or  another  customary  place. 

"  Q.  For  the  laws  to  be  binding  is  it  necessary  for 
the  people  to  accept  them  ? 

"  A.  No ;  for  that  would  be  to  govern  by  their 
own  will  rather  than  by  that  of  the  sovereign. 

"  Q'  When  the  laws  seem  burdensome  what  must 
the  people  do  ? 

'^  A.  Obey,  and  humbly  prefer  his  petition. 

"  Q.  Is  it  a  sin  to  murmur  against  or  speak  evil 
of  kings  or  magistrates? 

''A.  Yes;  for  God  says,  'Thou  shalt  not  murmur 
against  the  gods,  nor  curse  the  prince  of  the  people.' 

"  Q.  What  kind  of  a  sin  is  it? 

^'  A.  A  mortal  sin  if  upon  a  serious  subject,  or 
venial  if  upon  a  light  matter. 


41 6  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

"  Q.  Does  he  who  speaks  evil  of  his  ministry 
speak  evil  of  the  king  ? 

**  A.  Yes ;  for  they  are  his  envoys  and  represent 
his  person. 

"  Q.  Whom  does  he  despise  who  expresses  con- 
tempt for  the  king  or  his  minister? 

"  A.  He  despises  God,  who  says,  *  He  who  de- 
spises you  despises  Me.' " 

In  the  introduction  to  the  Paraguayan  edition, 
pubh'shed  after  independence  had  been  gained, 
"  Bishop  Urbieta  adds  a  charge  addressed  to  all 
priests,  teachers,  parents,  and  other  citizens,  in 
which  he  declares  that  God  has  inspired  the 
supreme  government  with  the  idea  of  reprinting 
this  treatise."* 

The  University  of  Cordoba  is  the  highest  example 
of  the  outgrowth  of  the  religion  that  superseded 
that  of  the  Inca  and  Guarani,  and  of  the  means  for 
mental  discipline  afforded  in  the  La  Plata  countries 
before  the  era  of  independence.  Except  the  College 
of  San  Marcos,  in  Lima,  it  is  the  oldest  institution 
of  learning  in  South  America.  After  an  ineffectual 
attempt  two  years  earlier,  the  College  of  Saint  Fran- 
cis Xavier,  the   first  school   of  the   university,  was 

*  Washburn's  "  History  of  Paraguay." 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  417 

founded  in  1613  by  the  grant  of  an  annual  income 
of  two  thousand  dollars,  made  by  the  Franciscaa 
Bishop  of  Tucuman,  within  whose  diocese  the  city 
of  Cordoba  was  located.  Nine  years  later  the 
"  Royal  University,"  which  granted  degrees  in 
theology,  arts,  grammar,  and  philosophy,  was  built 
by  its  side.  The  course  of  instruction  reminds  us 
of  Cowper's  description  of  the  way  in  which  his 
education  was  conducted :  "  They  gave  me  a  little 
more  Latin." 

The  original  curriculum  comprised  theology,  phi- 
losophy, and  Latin  grammar.  When  the  scholars 
had  acquired  some  facility  in  Latin,  scholastic  phi- 
losophy followed,  and  that  was  followed  by  scholastic 
and  moral  theology.  The  one  object  in  this  and  all 
other  colleges  in  the  country  was  to  make  priests. 
In  1845,  Sarmiento  said  of  it,  "For  two  centuries 
it  has  furnished  a  great  part  of  South  America  with 
theologians  and  doctors.  ...  Up  to  1829  the  spirit 
of  Cordoba  was  monastic  and  scholastic.  .  .  .  The 
city  is  a  cloister  surrounded  by  ravines ;  the  prom- 
enade is  a  cloister  with  iron  grates ;  every  square  of 
houses  is  a  cloister  of  nuns  or  friars ;  the  colleges 
are  cloisters;  the  jurisprudence  taught  there,  the 
theology,  all  the   medieval    scholastic    learning    of 

the   place    is   a    mental    cloister,   within    which    the 
bb 


41 8  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

intellect   is  walled    up   and   fortified   against   every 
departure  from  book  and  commentary." 

Nor  does  this  eloquent  apostle  of  popular  educa- 
tion seem  to  have  been  alone  in  this  estimate  of  the 
utility  of  the  mental  training  received  there.  Dean 
Funes,  who  made  a  report  of  its  condition  at  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century,  says,  "  Theology 
had  come  to  share  in  the  corruptions  of  the  Aris- 
totelian philosophy,  applied  to  theology,  and  had 
resulted  in  a  mixture  of  spiritual  and  profane,  mere 
human  reasonings,  deceptive  subtleties  and  sophisms, 
frivolous  and  misplaced  inquiries.  Such  were  the 
conditions  under  which  the  ruling  tastes  of  these 
schools  had  been  formed."  And  he  adds  that  "  its 
system  of  education  was  not  fit  to  form  worthy 
citizens  either  in  a  physical  or  moral  point  of  view." 
Others  declared  that  "  the  American  colleges  had 
never  been  anything  but  clerical  seminaries,  in 
which  the  pupils  were  subjected  to  exaggerated 
religious  exercises,  which  deprived  them  of  time 
that  should  be  devoted  to  more  useful  things."  Up 
to  the  time  of  the  revolution,  except  the  sons  of 
the  wealthy,  who  had  been  educated  in  Europe,  it 
was  difficult  to  find  any  one  sufficiently  educated  to 
transact  business  with  ordinary  commercial  forms. 
In  1807  jurisprudence  was  added  to  the  university 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


419 


courses.  When  learned  Europeans  came  over  to 
survey  the  Brazih'an  boundary  the  Argentines  felt 
the  need  of  men  of  practical  accomplishments,  and 
the  public  voice  said,  "  We  require  useful  knowl- 
edge instead  of  all  these  absurdities  by  which  you 
make  priests  and  nuns  and  pettifogging  lawyers." 
"Towards  the  end  of  the  year  1816"  (the  same  year 
in  which  the  National  Congress,  assembled  at  Tucu- 
nian,  declared  the  independence  of  all  the  Spanish- 
Argentine  provinces)  **  Dean  Funes  succeeded  in 
introducing  into  the  ancient  university  of  the  city 
the  studies  previously  so  much  contemned, — mathe- 
matics, living  languages,  public  law,  physics,  draw- 
ing, and  music.  From  that  time  the  youth  of 
Cordoba  began  to  direct  their  ideas  into  new 
channels."  * 

Until  this  sensible  change  in  the  educational  curri- 
culum had  been  effected  by  the  demands  of  the  revo- 
lution, the  chief  feature  of  school  education  in  all  the 
La  Plata  countries  was  its  iron  discipline,  which  was 
eminently  calculated,  as  it  was  originally  designed, 
to  make  those  who  went  out  from  the  schools  the 
teachers  of  an  unreasoning  obedience  to  despotic 
power.      That    the    idea    prevailed    that    religious 

*  Sarmiento. 


420  ^^   PLATA   COUNTRIES. 

authority  and  civil  power  were  inseparable  is  ap- 
parent from  the  fact  that  the  people  of  the  remote 
rural  districts  often  applied  to  the  "  captain"  of  a 
train  of  merchant  carts  which  chanced  to  pass  their 
way,  to  baptize  their  children.  Nor  did  the  dissolute 
and  deplorably  immoral  character  of  the  great  mass 
of  the  colonial  clergy  tend  to  divorce  the  popular 
mind  from  the  notion  that  obedience  to  power, 
however  obtained,  was  a  religious  duty. 

That  the  ecclesiastical  training  of  the  country  did 
furnish  one  element  in  the  preparation  of  the  people 
for  the  submission  to  the  long  reign  of  terror  that 
turned  populous  districts  into  deserts  is  also  apparent 
from  the  fact  that  in  Paraguay,  where  that  training 
was  most  perfect  and  uninterrupted,  the  abject 
submission  and  the  final  extermination  were  most 
complete. 

Against  this  training  the  natural  Spanish  disposi- 
tion of  haughty'  independence  and  proud  self-con- 
fidence was  inherently  at  war.  And  that  this  dis- 
position, fostered  by  every  other  condition  of  society 
in  the  New  World,  must  eventually  break  down  the 
artificial  walls  built  up  to  enslave  it  was  inevitable. 


PART    IV, 


PARAGUAY. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

INDEPENDENCE   OF   TARAGUAY. 

The  history  of  Paraguay  has  been  most  anoma- 
lous. As  a  Spanish-American  colony,  throughout 
its  entire  colonial  period  it  was  singularly  free  from 
those  bloody  revolutions  characteristic  of  the  Span- 
ish dominion.  This  freedom  from  revolution  was 
due  to  two  singular  causes.  The  first  of  these  was 
the  civil  policy  established  by  Irala.  In  other  parts 
of  the  continent  seized  by  Spain  the  natives  were 
exterminated  or  conquered  and  became  slaves.  The 
Mestizos  resulting  from  the  alliances  of  the  conquer- 
ors with  the  conquered  were,  in  the  eyes  of  the 
haughty  Castilians,  a  degraded  race.  Here,  on  the 
contrary,  the  alliances  formed  between  the  adven- 
turers from  the  Old  World  and  the  peaceful  Guaranis 
were  sanctified  by  marriage,  and  the  Mestizos  of  Para- 
guay, in  the  first  century  of  its  history,  were  alto- 
gether as  honorable  as  either  nation  from  which  they 
sprung,  and  were  recognized  as  the  legitimate  heirs 

of  all  the  honors  and  privileges  of  both.     They  re- 

423 


^24  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

tained  the  punctilio  of  the  Spaniard  with  the  simplic- 
ity of  the  Guarani,  and,  living  unambitious  lives  in 
easy  abundance,  were  truly  Spanish-Guarani  subjects 
— not  vassals — of  Spain.  For  a  hundred  and  fifty 
years  no  Spanish  colony  increased  so  rapidly  in  popu- 
lation or  enjoyed  so  great  security  of  life  and  property. 
The  second  cause  of  Paraguay's  unparalleled  tran- 
quillity was  the  peculiar  educational  influences 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  nation  in  the  second 
century  of  its  existence.  This  unforeseen  influence 
coming  from  an  external  source  was  the  chief  agent 
in  frustrating  the  plans  of  Irala  for  the  future  devel- 
opment of  the  nation  he  had  founded.  Ten  years 
after  the  organization  of  the  Order  of  Jesuits  its 
representatives  arrived  in  Paraguay,  "and  from  that 
time  the  history  of  the  Jesuits  is  the  history  of  Par- 
aguay." As  we  have  seen,  their  moulding  influence 
is  traceable  through  all  the  Provinces,  but  nowhere 
else  did  they  secure  the  exclusive  moulding  influ- 
ence accorded  to  them  in  the  Paraguay  Reductions 
by  the  King  of  Spain.  Each  Reduction  was  ruled 
by  two  priests  (rarely  Spaniards),  who  lived  in  it. 
One  managed  its  temporal  affairs,  and  the  other 
devoted  himself  to  the  education  of  the  children 
and  the  performance  of  religious  ceremonies.  As 
already  intimated,  these   Reductions  Were  a  repro- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


425 


ductlon,  with  slight  differences,  of  the  hierarchal 
regime  estabHshed  over  the  laboring  class  by  the 
Inca.  With  a  simple  change  of  the  names  of  the 
divinities  worshipped  and  verbal  differences  in  the 
chants  of  the  laborers  while  at  work  under  their 
taskmasters,  the  description  of  the  one  is  the  de- 
scription of  the  other.  The  effect  of  the  one  as 
traced  in  Peru  by  Prescott  is  precisely  the  effect  of 
the  other  in  Paraguay  as  traced  by  Washburn. 

"  In  the  Jesuit  pueblos  (villages)  there  were  no 
laws,  either  civil  or  criminal.  The  only  rule  was 
the  will  of  the  Jesuit."  But  even  this  hnperio-impc- 
7'invi  did  not  satisfy  them.  "There  was  something 
inherent  in  the  order  that  seemed  to  incite  its  mem- 
bers to  universal  dominion.  They  aspired  to  influ- 
ence in  everything,  temporal  and  political  as  well  as 
spiritual."  **  They  were  all  the  while  intriguing  to 
get  hold  of  the  civil  government."  By  their  in- 
trigues after  political  power  the  King  of  Spain  at 
length  felt  himself  of  less  authority  than  they,  and, 
impelled  to  follow  the  example  of  Portugal,  he  made 
a  present  to  the  Pope  of  all  the  Jesuits  in  his  do- 
minions. They  were  expelled  from  his  South 
American  possessions  in  1767,  one  hundred  and 
fifty-seven  years  after  their  admission.    The  Viceroy 

of  Buenos  Ayres,  to  whom  was  assigned  the  duty 

36* 


426 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


of  having  them  collected  and  sent  out  of  the  vice- 
royalty,  in  reporting  to  his  royal  master  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  duty,  gave  the  following  summary: 

"  I  had  to  anticipate  its  consequences  on  five 
hundred  priests,  distributed  over  a  distance  of  more 
than  seven  hundred  leagues ;  possessed  of  twelve 
colleges;  of  one  house  of  residence;  of  more  than 
fifty  estancias  and  places  where  they  were  build- 
ing, which  were  so  many  more  colleges,  and  settle- 
ments made  up  of  a  vast  number  of  slaves;  of 
thirty  towns  of  Guarani  Indians,  with  more  than 
one  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  Abipones,  Macobes,  Lulis,  and 
various  other  nations  of  Chiquitos ;  not  to  speak  of 
many  more,  of  whom,  on  the  Jesuitical  principle 
of  keeping  the  Indians  from  all  intercourse  with  the 
Spaniards,  we  know  nothing.  .  .  .  The  largest  col- 
lege, that  of  Cordoba,  is  generally  reputed  as  the 
head  of  the  powerful  empire  of  the  Jesuits.  Empire 
it  may  truly  be  called,  because,  counting  Indian 
slaves  and  other  servants,  they  have  in  this  vast 
country  more  servants  than  the  king." 

During  the  century  and  a  half  in  which  the 
Jesuits  had  had  absolute  control  in  thirty  cities  of 
Paraguay,  and  in  all  parts  the  controlling  influence 
in  moulding  education  and  popular  thought,  they 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


427 


had  so  impressed  their  system  on  the  people  that 
for  them  to  have  changed  without  the  accession  of 
some  mental  or  spiritual  force  from  without  would 
have  been  a  miracle.  But  no  transforming  thought 
or  power  from  without  came  to  their  aid.  The  Re- 
ductions were  ravaged  by  slave-hunters  from  Brazil 
and  despoiled  by  unscrupulous  rulers  placed  over 
them.  Their  remnants,  as  well  as  the  majority  of 
the  whole  Paraguayan  nation  moulded  by  the  same 
influence,  continued  in  unthinking,  unquestioned 
obedience  to  existing  authority. 

Bernardo  Velasco,  the  Spanish  Governor  of  Para- 
guay at  the  era  of  the  South  American  rebellion, 
was  a  wise  and  judicious  ruler,  under  whom  the 
people  were  conscious  of  no  violation  of  their  rights, 
and  felt  no  hardship  from  his  authority.  Hence 
they  had  no  object  in  revolution.  Their  intercourse 
with  Buenos  Ayres  had  always  been  so  slight,  they 
felt  no  interest  in  the  political  act  by  which  it  severed 
its  connection  with  the  mother  country  and  flew  to 
arms.  Nor  could  it  then  be  induced  to  join  in  the 
rebellion.  A  little  later,  roused  by  the  assertion  of 
the  colonies  already  in  arms, — that  independence  was 
necessary  for  future  safety, — a  few  of  the  leading 
men  of  Asuncion  determined  to  secure  it.  The 
prudent  governor  yielded  to  the  demand,  and  Para- 


428  ^^    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

guay  ceased  to  be  a  dependency  of  Spain  without 
striking  a  blow  or  shedding  a  drop  of  blood.  The 
natural  result  of  its  Jesuitical  training  followed. 

It  has  been  truly  said  that  "  the  crucial  test  of  a 
good  and  wise  administration  is  that  under  it  the 
people  have  advanced  in  intelligence  and  grown 
self-reliant  and  capable  of  self-government;  so  that, 
if  the  existing  government  or  all  of  its  members 
should  be  removed,  the  people  would  be  so  accus- 
tomed, not  only  to  law  and  order,  but  to  the  respon- 
sibility of  power,  that  they  would  rapidly  improvise 
another,  adapted  to  their  necessities,  without  revo- 
lution or  serious  embarrassment." 

Proved  by  this  test,  all  of  the  Spanish-American 
governments  have  been  lamentable  failures,  and  none 
more  so  than  the  much-lauded  Jesuits'  government 
of  Paraguay.  Without  invidious  class  distinctions, 
without  the  turbulent  Gaucho  element  that  drenched 
other  sections  in  blood,  without  the  envies  and 
hatreds  that  fired  factional  rivalries  in  the  colonies 
to  the  south  and  west,  this  colony,  planted  in  the 
*'  Paradise  of  the  New  World,"  failed  to  seize  the 
hour  of  its  emancipation  solely  because  its  educa- 
tional forces  had  wholly  unfitted  it  for  self-govern- 
ment 

An  attempt  was  made  to  follow  the  example  of 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


429 


Spain  after  the  deposition  of  Ferdinand  VII., — an 
example  that  had  already  been  followed  in  succes- 
sion by  each  of  the  revolting  colonies, — and  a 
governing  junta  of  three  persons  was  resolved  upon. 
As  the  military  had  always  been  the  strong  arm  of 
the  civil  power,  the  two  most  popular  generals  were 
naturally  deemed  indispensable  members  of  the 
junta.  "But  neither  of  these  officers  knew  more 
of  letters  than  the  horses  they  rode.  It  was  nec- 
essary to  find  one,  a  native  of  the  country,  more 
liberally  educated,  who  knew  something  of  legal 
forms  and  proceedings,  to  put  the  junta  in  opera- 
tion. Unfortunately,  there  was  but  one  native  of 
Paraguay  in  the  country  qualified  for  the  work. 
This  was  Dr.  Francia,  who  had  been  educated  at 
the  University  of  Cordoba,  and  whose  occupation 
had  been  to  prepare  papers,  collect  and  adduce 
evidence  in  legal  cases  such  as  was  to  be  submitted 
to  the  illiterate  judges  of  such  tribunals  as  then 
existed." 

The  junta  of  three  was  followed  by  a  joint  consu- 
late of  two  persons, — the  commander-in-chief  of  the 
army  and  Dr.  Francia.  "The  consular  chairs  bore 
the  names  'Caesar'  and  *  Pompey.' "  But  "Caisar," 
alias  Dr.  P'rancia,  soon  got  the  better  of  "  Pompey," 
and,    after    sundry    diplomatic    manueuvres,    among 


4^0  ^^    PLATA    COUNTRIES 

which  was  the  caUing  of  several  "  Congresses,"  in 
1 8 17  he  was  declared  Perpetual  Dictator  of 
Paraguay.  "Thence  till  1840  there  was  no  sign 
of  authority  save  the  will  of  Francia,  who  thought 
no  more  of  putting  to  death  the  best  men  in  the 
country  than  most  men  do  of  killing  a  mosquito." 
It  was  "  but  a  slight  modification  of  the  Jesuits' 
system  applied  to  a  people  already  prepared  to  re- 
ceive it  that  produced  the  merciless  reign  of  P'ran- 
cia.  It  was  the  Jesuits'  system  still  when  the  power 
was  all  concentrated  in  the  hands  of  the  cruel  Dic- 
tator, the  difference  being  that  the  power  was 
wielded  by  one  man  rather  than  by  a  hierarchy. 
The  people  were  so  emasculated  of  all  sense  of 
power  or  influence  in  the  government  that  neither 
the  Dictator  nor  the  fatlicrs  ever  could  conceive 
of  anything  so  absurd  as  that  any  subject  could 
have  a  right  that  did  not  accord  with  the  interest, 
caprice,  or  wishes  of  the  supreme  power.  This  is 
and  ever  has  been,  since  the  days  of  the  Jesuits,  the 
conviction,  the  controlling  idea,  the  consciousness 
of  those  rulers  of  Paraguay  that  the  country  itself 
has  produced." 

There  is  not  a  gleam  of  light  in  the  twenty-three 
years  of  that  dictatorship.  "  So  long  as  one  writes 
of  Francia  he  can  tell  nothing  but  a  catalogue  of 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


431 


crimes  committed  by  a  man  who  had  no  redeeming 
quality.  The  whole  of  his  long  reign  is  one  per- 
petual wail  of  misery."* 

Although  Spain  and  Portugal  both  adopted  the 
policy  of  excluding  foreigners  from  their  colonies, 
after  the  treaty  of  Utrecht  it  was  impossible  to  keep 
them  entirely  excluded  from  the  Spanish  Provinces, 
and  a  few  had  penetrated  as  far  as  Paraguay.  The 
Jesuits  had  carried  the  same  policy  into  an  exagger- 
ated practice,  not  even  permitting  Spanish  subjects 
to  enter  the  Reductions.  Francia  continued  the 
exaggerated  policy  of  exclusion  throughout  his 
jurisdiction.  No  one  from  abroad  was  allowed  to 
enter  Paraguay,  and  those  already  there  were  not 
allowed  to  leave.  In  181 5  two  English  merchants 
succeeded  in  getting  away,  the  future  Dictator  be- 
lieving that  through  their  representations  the  British 
Government  would  be  induced  to  become  his  ally. 
Ten  years  later  the  scientists  Renger  and  Long- 
champ  and  a  few  Englishmen  escaped.  In  the  suc- 
ceeding fifteen  dreadful  years  only  the  scientist 
Bompland  was  allowed  to  leave.  With  these  excep- 
tions, Paraguay  was,  as  it  were,  hermetically  sealed 
from  the  rest  of  the  world  from  the  appointment  of 


*  C.  II.  Washburn. 
36* 


432 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


Dr.  Francia  until  his  death  in  1840.  No  news  from 
the  outside  world  could  penetrate  hither.  No  knowl- 
edge of  the  affairs  of  Paraguay  could  reach  the  out- 
side world.  There  was  no  more  intercourse  between 
the  people  of  Paraguay  and  the  struggling  factions 
across  the  river  than  between  them  and  the  trans- 
atlantic nations.  It  was  a  period  of  abject  terror, 
such  as  held  the  people  of  San  Juan  under  QuI- 
roga  and  Buenos  Ayres  under  Rosas,  but  more  in- 
tensified, more  hopeless.  There  was  no  anarchy, 
because  there  was  no  untrained  spirit  to  create  it  and 
no  exile  to  return  with  it.  The  system  of  espionage 
was  so  perfect  that  no  one  dared  express  a  thought 
to  his  nearest  friend  lest  it  reach  the  Dictator  and 
cost  him  his  life.  The  soldiery,  servants,  the  mem- 
bers of  one's  own  household  were  his  instruments. 
When  Francia  died  the  people  seemed  only  in  terror 
that  his  malign  power  might  still  follow  them.  For 
months  after  they  knew  his  body  was  dead  no  one 
dared  to  speak  of  him  save  in  a  whisper,  and  with- 
out glancing  fearfully  over  the  shoulder,  as  if  ex- 
pecting to  see  his  avenging  presence.  On  his  death 
a  mi\ita.ry  j'l/nta  again  took  the  place  of  a  provisional 
government.  But  as  the  supreme  head  of  the  mili- 
tary (Francia)  was  gone,  it  was  utterly  incapable  of 
doing    anything.      After    waiting    for    about    three 


OF  SOU  Til  AMERICA.  4^^ 

» 

months  the  people  began  to  breathe  with  a  little 
more  freedom,  seeing  that  tlie  "defunct"  did  not  re- 
turn to  imprison,  torture,  and  slay  them,  and  deter- 
mined to  call  a  "Congress,"  which  was  their  one 
idea  of  legalizing  a  government. 

Carlos  Antonio  Lopez  saw  that  the  government 
could  be  seized  by  any  hand  strong  enough  to  grasp 
it,  and  resolved  that  his  would  be  the  hand.  He 
therefore  induced  the  commander  of  the  army  to 
assume  the  provisional  power  and  call  a  "  Congress" 
of  three  hundred.  In  this  Congress  he  acted  as 
secretary,  and  again  the  executive  authority  was 
nominally  vested  in  two  consuls,  General  Alonso 
and  C.  A.  Lopez. 

A  few  words  on  the  Paraguayan  method  of  con- 
stituting a  "Congress,"  and  its  mode  of  transacting 
business  after  being  constituted,  may  not  bv^  wholly 
uninteresting,  and  may  serve  to  throw  some  light 
on  other  sections  of  the  La  Plata  also,  it  being  but 
a  slight  exaggeration  of,  if  not  the  exact  method 
prevalent  in,  all.  An  election,  properly  so  called, 
was  unknown.  When  such  an  assembly  was  deemed 
essential,  the  representative  of  absolute  authority 
(or  the  aspirant  to  that  position),  by  whatever  name 
known,  issued  an  order  naming  certain  individuals, 

who  were  commanded  to  repair  to  the  capital  at  a 
T       cc  37 


434 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


certain  time,  much  as  a  witness  would  be  sub- 
poenaed in  the  United  States  to  attend  a  given 
session  of  court,  and  he  no  more  thought  of  refus- 
ing compHance  with  the  requisition.  The  order 
usually  contained  no  specifications  of  the  subjects 
to  be  considered  by  the  Congress ;  but  when  assem- 
bled, such  measures  as  the  existing  power  had 
already  determined  should  be  recognized  as  legal, 
and  sanctioned,  were  presented  to  be  voted  on,  and 
woe  to  the  man  who  held  an  adverse  opinion.  The 
certainty  of  this  woe  insured  a  unanimous  approval. 
Francia  never  called  a  Congress  after  the  one  that 
acknowledged  him  as  Dictator.  A  few  were  called 
by  his  successors.  When  such  was  the  case,  the 
acts  of  the  executive  already  done  were  submitted 
for  approval.  And  such  was  the  influence  of  edu- 
cation and  fear  that  there  is  no  instance  known  of  a 
dissenting  vote.  The  assembly  was  called  to  assent 
to  what  a  dominant  will  demanded,  and  for  nothing 
else  ;  and  all  experience  demonstrated  that  to  do 
anything  further,  even  so  much  as  to  express  an 
opinion  or  make  an  inquiry,  would  be  to  expose  one- 
self to  death,  accompanied  with  nameless  horrors. 

This  mode  of  election  also  prevented  the  possi- 
bility of  a  **  member  of  the  opposition" — if  such 
existed— from  getting  a  seat  in  the  assembly. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  4^5 

The  Lopez  consulate  was  authorized  for  three 
years.  This  gave  him  time  to  mature  his  plans. 
At  the  end  of  the  term  another  "  Congress"  was 
called,  to  which  he  proposed  to  change  the  form  of 
the  government  to  a  Federal  Republic.  It  was  done, 
and  he  made  himself  President  for  ten  years.  He 
then  dissolved  the  Congress.  As  there  was  no 
organic  law  for  reassembling  it,  as  soon  as  he  had 
dissolved  the  Congress  of  1844  the  power  of  Carlos 
Antonio  Lopez  was  absolute. 

In  the  mean  time  Rosas  had  raised  himself  to  the 
supreme  power  in  Buenos  Ayres,  and  after  the  death 
of  Francia  refused  to  acknowledge  the  independence 
of  Paraguay.  As  it  had  been  a  part  of  the  Vice- 
royalty  of  Buenos  Ayres,  he  chose  to  consider  it  as 
properly  falling  under  his  administration,  and  deter- 
mined to  possess  himself  of  it.  But  before  his 
thought  could  be  put  into  effect  his  career  of 
domination  was  cut  short. 

The  next  year  after  becoming  "  President"  of  the 
"Federal  Republic  of  Paraguay," — that  is,  in  1845, 
— Lopez  established  El  Paraguay 0  Iiidcpcndioite  at 
Asuncion,  the  first  newspaper  ever  published  in 
Paraguay.  It  was  a  government  organ,  **  whose 
sole  object  was  to  praise  Carlos  Antonio  Lopez." 

The  first  printing-press  in  America  was  brought 


43^ 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


to  Paraguay  by  the  Jesuits,  and  great  honor  has 
been  accredited  to  them  therefor,  as  pioneers  of 
intellectual  culture.  The  only  use,  however,  made 
of  that  press  or  any  other  established  by  them 
throughout  their  vast  "  Empire  in  America"  was 
the  publication  of  theological  treatises.  A  few  of 
this  class,  issued  from  the  press  in  the  Paraguay 
Missions,  in  the  Guarani  tongue,  are  still  extant. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


437 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

DESTRUCTION   OF   PARAGUAY, 

During  the  colonial  period  the  wealthy  class  of 
citizens  in  all  the  Provinces  were  supplied  with 
manufactured  goods  from  Europe.  The  object  of 
the  exclusion  practised  by  the  mother  country  was 
to  secure  to  Spain  the  entire  trade.  One  objection 
brought  against  the  Reductions  by  the  secular  au- 
thorities was  that  the  traders  were  excluded  from 
them,  and  that  thus  the  kingdom  suffered  loss 
through  its  colonial  trade.  The  complaint  went  to 
the  king,  and  an  arrangement  was  made  for  the 
security  of  the  royal  revenue,  by  which  Spanish 
traders  were  admitted  to  the  Reductions.  These 
traders  transacted  their  business  with  an  individual 
in  the  Reduction  appointed  for  the  purpose,  and  did 
not  come  in  contact  with  the  people  themselves. 
During  the  early  part  of  the  dictatorship  of  Francia 
he  allowed  goods  to  be  entered  at  Villa  del   Pilar, 

the  most  southern  port  on  the  Paraguay  River,  but 

37^ 


438  L^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

he  did  not  allow  a  single  vessel  of  any  nationality 
to  ascend  beyond  its  mouth  on  the  Parana.  Rosas 
was  then  pursuing  the  same  policy  at  the  mouth  of 
the  La  Plata ;  and  Brazil,  in  order  to  traffic  with  its 
La  Plata  Provinces,  was  subjected  to  all  the  hard- 
ships of  colonial  times.  To  keep  up  its  difficult 
and  uncertain  intercourse  with  these  Provinces,  four 
circuitous  water-routes  were  followed.  The  greater 
part  of  its  trade  was  carried  on  by  the  original  one 
discovered  by  the  Mamalucos  of  Sao  Paulo  in  the 
seventeenth  century.  By  it  merchandise  intended 
for  Cuyuba,  the  capital  of  Matto  Grosso,  was  re- 
ceived at  Santos,  the  Atlantic  seaport  in  latitude 
24°,  and  carried  thence  on  muleback  up  the  steep 
ledges  of  the  Serra  do  Mar  to  Sao  Paulo.  Thence 
it  was  carried  eighty  miles  west  to  the  village  of 
Porto  Feliz,  and  embarked  in  canoes  on  the  Tiete, 
down  which  it  was  taken  to  the  mouth  of  the  Pardo. 
The  course  of  the  Tiete  is  interrupted  by  about 
fifty  falls,  around  which  goods  and  canoes  must  be 
carried  by  carts  or  on  the  backs  of  the  navigators. 
Arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pardo,  the  persevering 
navigators  rowed  up  that  stream  to  its  source. 
Thence  the  goods  and  boats  were  again  carried, 
partly  by  slaves  and  partly  by  soulless  beasts  of 
burden,  over  the  crest  of  the  Serra  do  Jaci  and  em- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


439 


barked  on  tlie  head-waters  of  the  Tocari,  a  branch 
of  the  Paraguay.  Down  this  it  floated  to  its  mouth, 
and  was  thence  rowed  up  the  Paraguay  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Cuyuba,  and  up  that  stream  to  the  city  of 
the  same  name,  which  stood  near  its  banks. 

By  the  second  route,  merchandise  was  received 
from  the  ocean  ships  at  Para,  in  i°  south  latitude, 
and  taken  thence  up  the  Tocantins  River  to  its 
source ;  carried  across  the  Serra  do  Santo  Martha 
to  the  Paranahibo,  which,  after  its  union  with  the 
Grande,  becomes  the  Parana;  down  it  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Pardo;  thence  up  the  Pardo,  and  continued  as 
by  the  first  route. 

A  still  more  circuitous  way  was  followed,  up  the 
Amazon  and  its  tributary,  the  Topajos,  to  its  source; 
thence  carried  on  shoulders  over  the  Serra  do  Dia- 
m^ntino  to  the  village  of  Matto  Grosso ;  thence 
down  the  Paraguay  to  the  mouth  of  the  Cuyuba, 
and  up  that  stream  as  before. 

But  Brazil's  easiest — although  longest — water-way 
of  reaching  this  Provincial  capital  was  by  the  Ama- 
zon and  Madeira  Rivers  to  the  source  of  the  Gua- 
pore ;  thence  a  few  leagues  of  land  carriage  and 
down  the  Paraguay. 

The  shortest  of  these  routes  required  ten  months 
of  hard  labor,  and  by  none  of  them  could  a  caravan 


440  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

effect  more  than  one  round  trip  yearly.  The  dif- 
ficulties encountered  in  their  transit  doubled  or 
trebled  the  cost  of  all  foreign  commodities  to  the 
consumer.  But  these  tedious  river  voyages  were 
less  dreaded  than  the  overland  journeys  that  in- 
volved climbing  a  succession  of  mountain  ridges, 
traversing  barren  sand  downs,  and  encountering  the 
hostility  of  unconquered  tribes  of  Indians.  Even 
the  most  circuitous  river  highway  did  not  give  ex- 
emption from  such  hostilities,  and  a  mercantile  cara- 
van necessarily  included  an  armed  guard. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  Government  of  Bu- 
enos Ay  res,  after  the  overthrow  of  Rosas,  was  to 
declare  the  La  Plata  free  to  the  ships  of  all  nations. 
The  next  year  (1853)  the  United  States  sent  out  Lieu- 
tenant Thomas  Page,  in  command  of  the  "  Water- 
Witch,"  to  explore  the  La  Plata  tributaries.  It  was 
a  purely  scientific  expedition,  and  its  results  were 
made  public  for  the  benefit  of  all  governments  and 
individuals  alike.  Nor  were  any  nations  more  di- 
rectly interested  in  the  results  or  so  much  to  be  ben- 
efited thereby  as  those  whose  territories  bordered 
their  banks.  To  Brazil  this  exploration  was  of  para- 
mount importance.  If  steam  navigation  were  dem- 
onstrated as  easily  practicable  on  the  Paraguay  and 
its  tributaries,  the  advantage  to  her  in  substituting  it 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


441 


for   the    old    laborious    methods   of  communication 
with  her  inland  Provinces  would  be  incalculable. 

President   Lopez   was   more   liberal    in  his  policy 
than   Dr.   Francia    had    been.     He   had    built  some 
boats  for  the  navigation  of  the  rivers  bounding  his 
territory  and  kept  up  a   little    commerce  with    the 
neighboring  States,  but  he  could  not  brook  the  idea 
of  the  freedom  of  the  Paraguayan  waters,  and  as  he 
held  control  of  both  the  Parana  and  Paraguay  above 
their  junction,  it  was  in  his  power  to   hold    them 
closed  against   the  vessels  of  other  nations.      This 
he  was  determined  to  do.     For  the  benefit  of  Para- 
guay   he    was   finally    induced    to    give    Lieutenant 
Page  permission  to  explore  those  rivers  as   far  as 
the  limits  of  Paraguay,  but  no  farther;  because,  as 
he   said,  if  he  should    allow  an    American   boat  to 
pass   his  boundary,  Brazil   and  other  nations  could 
claim    the   same   privilege    for   their    merchantmen. 
With  a  Brazilian  permit,  he  did,  however,  ascend  to 
Coimbra,  and  reported  that  there  were  two  hundred 
and    fifty    miles    of    the    river-course    between    the 
uppermost  settlement  under  the  Paraguayan  Govern- 
ment and  the   first  settlement  under  the    Brazilian 
Government  without  a  civilized  habitation. 
-  The  report   of    his   survey  was  most  flattering  to 
commercial  interests;    but   Lopez   was    incensed   at 


4^2  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

the  privilege  taken  of  going  beyond  his  boundary, 
and  from  that  time  put  obstructions  in  the  way  of  the 
further  execution  of  the  enterprise,  which  had  to  be 
abandoned  in  that  part  of  the  Plata  system.  Brazil 
afterwards  sent  up  an  armament  to  try  to  force  him 
to  yield  the  freedom  of  the  river,  but  the  armament 
was  defeated.  Negotiations  were  finally  effected 
by  which  Brazil  was  allowed  to  send  one  steamer 
per  month  to  the  city  of  Cuyuba,  by  the  way  of  the 
Paraguay  River.  With  many  troublesome  restric- 
tions and  occasional  interruptions  and  complaints  on 
both  sides  of  breach  of  contract,  this  arrangement 
was  continued  until  the  death  of  Lopez  I.,  which 
occurred  in  1862.  A  limited  freedom  of  the  waters 
was  also  accorded  to  other  powers. 

Although  an  extremely  selfish  and  avaricious 
man,  Carlos  Antonio  Lopez  was  not  of  a  sanguinary 
disposition  like  his  predecessor.  As  his  ideas  of 
government  were  derived  wholly  from  Francia  and 
Jesuitical  influences,  it  could  not  be  other  than  an 
absolute  despotism.  His  system  of  espionage  was 
as  perfect.  But  as  taxes  rather  than  blood  was  his 
uppermost  idea,  under  him  the  people  enjoyed  more 
security  in  their  homes  and  more  prosperity  than  at 
any  time  during  their  independence.  Charles  H. 
Washburn,  commissioner  and   minister   resident  of 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  443 

the  United  States  at  Asuncion  from  1861  to  1868, 
gives  the  following  description  of  rural  domestic  life 
in  this  period  of  comparative  security : 

"Just  in  the  selvage,  or  on  the  borders  of  the 
woods  next  to  the  plains,  the  inhabitants  have 
their  dwelling-houses.  A  description  of  one  will 
answer  to  four-fifths  of  all.  They  are  usually  of 
adobes,  thatched,  having  two  or  three  rooms,  the 
largest  of  which  is  perhaps  fifteen  by  twenty  feet. 
This  is  the  dining-  and  sitting-room,  while  the 
others  serve  for  sleeping-rooms.  Besides  this 
main  house  there  will  be  several  other  hovels 
for  slaves,  or  peons,  besides  the  cook-house.  There 
is  always  an  abundance  of  orange  trees,  and  gen- 
erally, near  by,  a  rude  mill  for  grinding  the  sugar- 
cane, and  a  sugar-house  or  shed  under  which  one 
or  two  boilers  are  set  for  boiling  down  the  syrup. 
At  the  time  of  harvest  the  gathered  maize  is  sus- 
pended or  stacked  in  the  husk  near  the  house, 
elevated  from  the  ground  to  keep  it  from  mice,  etc. 
Being  no  mills,  the  corn  is  pounded  in  mortars  made 
from  a  log  of  lapacho  tree,  generally  eighteen  inches 
in  diameter  and  three  feet  high.  The  peon  women, 
while  pounding  it  with  their  pestles,  beat  a  kind 
of  dull  music  till  the  grain  is  sufficiently  pulverized. 
Every  family  had   a    large    number  of  peons,  with 


444 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


many  children,  generally  nude.  The  peons  are  of 
mixed  Spanish,  Indian,  and  negro  blood,  the  Indian 
largely  predominating.  There  were  no  stables. 
The  cattle  grazed  in  common  on  the  plains  in  front, 
and  each  family  had  enough  for  its  needs.  Near 
the  house  is  usually  a  patch  of  maize,  of  sugar-cane, 
of  cotton,  of  mandioco,  and  of  tobacco,  all  rarely 
exceeding  two  and  a  half  or  three  acres.  Yet  on 
this  was  raised  the  family  supplies  for  the  entire 
year.  They  also  keep  chickens.  Beef  is  always 
cheap  in  the  market  of  the  capital.  A  puchero 
(meat  stew)  was  the  principal  dish.  A  bit  of  boiled 
mandioco  was  laid  beside  each  plate,  also  a  bit  of 
corn-bread  or  chipa.  After  this,  dulce"  (preserves  or 
any  kind  of  sweetmeats).  "  When  the  meal  was 
concluded  a  gourd  of  water  was  passed  around  to 
each  one  at  the  table,  and  with  a  large  draught  the 
meal  w^as  concluded.  This  was  the  average  meal 
of  a  family  from  one  year's  end  to  another  for  dinner 
and  supper.  Tea  and  coffee  were  scarcely  known. 
Wine  was  never  used  except  at  festivals.  Potatoes 
are  not  raised  in  the  country.  The  mandioco  is, 
however,  a  good  substitute.  This  is  a  root  something 
like  a  sweet  potato,  but  more  nutritious.  It  grows 
usually  from  six  to  ten  inches  long  and  from  one 
and  a  half  to  two  inches  thick,  covered  with  a  thick 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  445 

skin  that  easily  peels  off.  It  is  eaten  boiled  and 
roasted.  When  boiled  has  very  little  taste.  Unless 
cooked  soon  after  ripe,  it  does  not  become  soft.  A 
fine  flour  is  made  from  it  in  the  same  way  that  starch 
is  made  from  potato.  The  flour  is  used  for  the 
chipa  or  bread.  It  is  made  by  mixing  the  flour  with 
pulverized  cheese  and  suet  or  lard  and  then  baked. 
When  fresh  it  is  delicious,  but  hard  to  digest,  owing 
to  the  cheese.  It  soon  hardens  and  becomes  unpal- 
atable. The  cheaper,  coarser  cJiipa  is  made  from 
maize.  These  are  the  only  things  like  bread  known 
to  the  natives.  Wheat  is  not  grown,  and  the  flour 
imported  is  used  by  foreigners." 

Even  this  picture  of  simple  rural  prosperity  and 
domestic  felicity  was  destined  to  be  overshadowed 
and  soon  blotted  out.  On  the  death  of  Carlos  An- 
tonio Lopez,  now  known  as  Lopez  I.,  his  reputed 
son,  Francisco  Solano  Lopez,  declared  himself  his 
successor  by  the  will  of  the  deceased,  during  whose 
life  he  had  been  invested  with  much  power,  and 
already  held  the  military  under  his  command.  His 
succession  was  therefore  speedily  ratified  by  the 
army.  Then  began  a  re-enactment  of  all  the  bloody 
horrors  of  the  bloodiest  eras  known  to  any  age, 
until   in   comparison   the    people    might    even    have 

sighed  for  Francia's  mild  reign.     But  agencies  were 

38 


^^6  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

already  at  work  destined  to  cut  short  the  darkest 
day  of  human  woe  with  the  blackest  night  of  human 
terror. 

Although  by  the  treaty  of  1859  its  independence 
was  guaranteed,  neither  Brazil  nor  the  Argentine 
States  were  yet  reconciled  to  yield  the  old  claim  to 
Uruguay.  In  1863,  Venancio  Flores,  the  candidate 
of  the  "Colorado"  party,  was  defeated  for  the  Presi- 
dency of  Uruguay,  and  after  his  defeat  took  refuge 
in  Buenos  Ayres.  Uruguay  then  enjoyed  a  respite 
of  comparatively  good  government  under  President 
Berro,  the  leader  of  the  "  Blanco"  party.  As  was 
the  custom  of  defeated  aspirants  for  power.  General 
Flores  set  himself  to  gain  his  object  by  collecting 
forces  to  eject  his  successful  rival  from  the  Presi- 
dential chair.  This  is  known  as  the  third  Flores 
insurrection.  It  is  claimed  that  Flores  organized 
troops  and  gathered  forces  and  stores  for  it  while  in 
Buenos  Ayres,  and  that  that  government  connived 
at  these  proceedings.  Returning  to  Uruguay,  he 
was  further  reinforced  from  the  Brazilian  Province 
of  Rio  Grande,  and  began  war  against  the  existing 
government.  Acting  President  Aguierre  (constitu- 
tional successor  of  Berro)  remonstrated  with  the 
powers  on  each  side  of  the  Banda  Oriental,  and 
represented  to  them  that  great  injury  was  being  sus- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA, 


447 


tallied  by  his  country  through  their  connivance  in 
the  course  pursued  by  General  Flores.  These  re- 
monstrances were  ineffectual.  But  while  Uruguay 
was  thus  harassed,  Brazil  took  occasion  to  present 
a  claim  of  fifty  counts  against  Uruguay  for  damages 
said  to  have  been  sustained  by  its  citizens  through 
the  insurrections  in  Uruguay,  and  demanded  imme- 
diate settlement.  President  Aguierre  answered  that 
Uruguay  likewise  held  a  similar  list  against  Brazil  for 
like  infringements  of  the  rights  of  its  citizens,  and  that 
the  two  would  probably  nearly  balance  each  other, 
and  expressed  a  willingness  to  attend  to  their  ad- 
justment at  a  convenient  time,  but  added  that  owing 
to  the  complication  of  difficulties  with  which  the 
Uruguayan  Government  was  then  contending,  partly 
owing  to  the  culpable  negligence  of  Brazil  in  allow- 
ing reinforcements  to  go  from  its  territory  to  the 
assistance  of  General  Flores,  attention  could  not  at 
that  time  be  given  to  the  adjustment  of  those  claims. 
Brazil  then  sent  its  ultimatum:  Uruguay  must  pay 
those  claims  within  six  days  or  the  Brazilian  army 
would  invade  its  territory.  Its  fleet  was  already 
anchored  in  the  Bay  of  Montevideo,  ready  to  be- 
siege the  city  at  the  expiration  of  the  time  speci- 
fied. 

In  this  strait  the  President  of  Uruguay  appealed 


448 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


to  Lopez  II.,  of  Paraguay,  for  assistance,  represent- 
ing that  if  the  national  existence  of  Uruguay  were 
destroyed  Paraguay  could  not  hope  for  safety,  or 
that  its  territory  would  be  respected.  Lopez  II. 
declined  to  send  assistance  to  Uruguay  or  to  form 
an  alliance  with  its  harassed  government.  But  he 
notified  Brazil  that  he  would  regard  any  invasion  of 
Uruguay  as  threatening  the  safety  of  Paraguay. 
This,  he  afterwards  claimed,  was  a  declaration  of 
war  in  the  event  of  a  Brazilian  invasion  of  Uruguay. 
Brazil  paid  no  attention  to  the  threat,  but  when  the 
six  days  of  its  ultimatum  had  expired  blockaded 
Montevideo  with  its  fleet  and  threw  its  land  forces 
into  Uruguay.  With  this  assistance,  General  Flores 
forced  Aguierre  to  resign  the  government,  and  Sen- 
ator Villaba,  then  the  constitutional  head  of  affairs, 
opened  negotiations  with  the  besiegers.  General 
Flores  was  then  declared  President  of  Uruguay. 
Thus  the  Uruguayan  Government  that  had  appealed 
to  Lopez  II.  was  extinct,  and  that  which  had  taken 
its  place  was  in  reality  a  creature  of  Brazil. 

When  Lopez  II.  knew  that  Brazil  had  disregarded 
his  protest,  he  considered  himself  at  war  with  that 
power,  and  fired  into  the  Brazilian  mail  steamer,  the 
"  Marquis  of  Olinda,"  on  its  regular  trip  to  Matto 
Grosso,  November   14,   1864.     The  steamer  had  no 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  ^^g 

means  of  defendini:^  itself,  and  was  taken  by  the 
Paraguayans  and  all  on  board  thrown  into  prison. 
Brazil  did  not  consider  the  warning  formerly  given 
by  Lopez  II.  as  a  declaration  of  war,  and  saw  fit  to 
construe  the  attack  upon  the  **  Marquis  of  Olinda" 
as  an  unwarranted  insult  to  the  nation  in  a  time  of 
peace.  She  therefore  immediately  declared  war  and 
solicited  the  Argentine  Republic  to  join  with  her. 
This  solicitation  was  ineffectual. 

Lopez  II.  was  ready  for  war,  and  was  anxious  to 
carry  it  into  Brazilian  territory.  To  this  end  he 
asked  permission  to  cross  his  troops  through  the 
Argentine  Province  of  Corrientes.  This  was  re- 
fused on  the  same  alleged  ground  that  had  been 
given  to  Brazil,  namely,  that  the  Argentine  Republic 
proposed  to  observe  a  strict  neutrality.  Lopez  II. 
retaliated  upon  the  Argentine  Republic  for  the  re- 
fusal of  his  request  by  sending  an  army  against  the 
capital  of  Corrientes,  and  destroyed  that  city.  This 
act  incensed  the  Argentine  people  and  government, 
and  they  no  longer  hesitated  to  join  Brazil  in  offen- 
sive measures.  Brazil,  the  Argentine  Republic,  and 
Uruguay  then  united  as  "  The  Triple  Alliance,"  bind- 
ing the  three  governments  unitedly  to  wage  war 
against    Paraguay    until    its    existing    government 

should  be  destroyed. 

dd  38* 


450 


LA    PLATA    COUNT RLES 


"  Lopez  was  the  Pope  of  Paraguay,  in  the  full 
exercise  of  temporal  power,  and  his  government 
that  which  for  ages  the  Jesuits  have  labored  to 
establish  throughout  the  world."  *  He  now  seemed 
to  feel  himself  invincible,  and  boasted  that  when  he 
should  fall  not  a  Paraguayan  would  survive  him. 
He  immediately  called  a  "  Congress,"  which,  of 
course,  approved  of  all  he  had  done  or  might  do, 
and  conferred  on  him  the  title  of  Marshal.  From 
that  day  the  only  newspaper  in  Paraguay  was  filled 
with  fulsome  praises  of  Marshal  Lopez,  dictated  by 
himself  It  was  regarded  with  interest  by  the  citi- 
zens, not  as  giving  any  reliable  news  of  the  situa- 
tion  of  the  country  and  the  pending  conflict,  but 
as  indicating  upon  what  subjects  it  would  be  safe 
to  speak  with  each  other.  No  newspapers  from 
other  countries  were  allowed  to  reach  those  to 
whom  they  were  addressed  (except  to  members  of 
the  foreign  diplomatic  corps)  until  they  had  first 
been  opened  and  examined  by  *'  the  Postmaster- 
General  of  Paraguay,"  to  see  that  they  contained  no 
remarks  adverse  to  the  policy  or  greatness  of  the 
Marshal. 

Lopez  n.  did  not  hesitate  to   sustain  himself  in 

*  Washburn. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  4^1 

despotic  power  by  the  system  of  espionaf^e  practised 
by  his  predecessors,  and  to  make  it  yet  more  effec- 
tive he  added  the  priests  to  the  detective  agencies 
employed  by  Lopez  I.,  and  by  means  of  the  confes- 
sional read  the  inmost  thoughts  of  his  subjects. 
Thus,  however  guarded  had  been  the  lips  through 
life,  the  d}ing  confession,  by  which  alone  it  was 
believed  the  soul  could  receive  absolution  and  gain 
eternal  rest,  might  be  and  was  wrested  to  convict 
the  living  of  treason  against  the  Marshal. 

It  is  said  that  in  the  settlement  of  the  country  no 
part  of  the  New  World  had  received  so  many  noble 
families  as  Paraguay,  but  long  before  the  final  scene 
in  the  tragedy  nearly  every  family  of  noble  blood 
had  been  destroyed.  To  lift  the  veil  on  the  horrors 
of  those  years,  in  which  all  that  remained  of  the 
better  instincts  of  mankind  were  trampled  out, 
would  be  but  to  harrow  human  sensibilities. 

The  population  of  Paraguay  at  the  death  of  Lopez 
L,  in  1862,  is  not  known,  but  was  probably  eight 
hundred  thousand  or  more.  Washburn  expresses 
the  opinion  that  the  exact  number  could  not  possibly 
be  ascertained  within  one  hundred  thousand.  He 
further  estimates  that  there  could  not  have  been 
over  ten  thousand  in  the  entire  Paraguayan  army 
at  the  close  of  the  war,  although  all  boys  over  ten 


452 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


years  of  age  had  been  drafted  into  it,  and  the  menial 
service  of  the  camp  was  performed  by  women.  He 
charges  Lopez  II.  of  going  into  eternity  with  the 
slaughter  of  seven  hundred  thousand  of  his  people 
on  his  soul.  Other  estimates  place  the  loss  of  life 
as  high  as  one  million. 

The  natural  disposition  of  the  Paraguayan  people, 
as  their  whole  national  existence  shows,  was  entirely 
unwarlike.  They  had  an  intense  hatred  for  and  fear 
of  the  Brazilians,  engendered  by  the  slave-hunting 
raids  of  the  Mamalucos,  by  which  the  harmless  citi- 
zens had  been  carried  off  by  thousands  to  be  sold 
in  Rio  de  Janeiro.  In  this  war  they  were  carefully 
instructed  that  the  object  of  the  Brazilians  was  to 
capture  and  carry  the  people  into  slavery.  With 
the  fear  of  Brazilian  slavery  on  the  one  hand  and  of 
the  Marshal  on  the  other  they  continued  the  des- 
perate struggle. 

True  to  his  threat  to  leave  no  Paraguayan  to  sur- 
vive his  fall,  when  forced  to  retreat,  the  Marshal 
detailed  bands  of  soldiers  to  drive  all  the  inhabi- 
tants before  them,  leaving  the  country  desolate. 
"  The  people  had  scarcely  anything  to  eat  except 
what  they  could  pick  up  in  the  woods  and  deserted 
country,  and  seldom  in  the  history  of  this  world  has 
such   misery   been   endured    as    by   these   helpless 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


453 


women  and  children.  Thousands  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  them  died  of  actual  starvation."  In  the  last 
few  months  of  the  struggle,  when  enough  soldiers 
could  not  be  spared  to  do  this  work  effectually,  the 
guard  was  ordered  to  cut  the  throats  of  the  people 
before  leaving  them,  when  they  could  no  longer 
keep  them  beyond  the  reach  of  the  inv^ading  army. 
The  command  was  faithfully  executed.  But  even 
then  some  pitiable,  naked,  starving  stragglers  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  invaders. 

The  Paraguayan  war  ended  with  the  death  of 
Lopez  II.,  who  was  killed  at  Aquidaban,  March  i, 
1870,  and  the  victorious  army  of  the  "Triple  Alli- 
ance" became  the  guardian  of  Paraguay  until  a 
native  government  should  be  organized  to  take 
charge  of  it. 

The  Paraguayan  war  was  doubly  a  war  of  exter- 
mination. The  allies  determined  to  exterminate 
Lopez  II.,  and  he  determined  that  his  people  should 
first  be  exterminated.  The  extension  of  its  com- 
merce and  its  boundaries  might  have  been  a  suf- 
ficient motive  for  Brazil,  aside  from  the  question  of 
national  etiquette  and  the  presumable  insult  to  its 
flag.  But  a  higher  and  a  more  disinterested  motive 
doubtless  moved  many  of  the  Argentine  patriots 
and  added  to  the  zest  with  which  they  rushed  to 


454 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


the  vindication  of  their  own  wrong.  They  had  just 
succeeded  in  freeing  themselves  from  a  similar 
tyranny  to  that  which  they  believed  bound  the 
people  of  their  sister  nation,  and  sincerely  believed 
that  the  Paraguayan  people  could  only  be  freed 
from  that  odious  tyranny  by  outside  interference. 
The  Argentine  exiles  who  had  so  recently  returned 
to  free  their  own  land  were  now  ready  to  lay  down 
their  lives  in  the  disinterestedly  humane  attempt  to 
rescue  others  as  enthralled  as  they  had  been. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA, 


455 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

RECONSTRUCTION   OF   PARAGUAY. 

During  the  administration  of  Lopez  I.,  while  the 
ports  of  Paraguay  were  not  wholly  closed,  a  number 
of  Paraguayans  had  gone  into  the  neighboring  Prov- 
inces, ostensibly  for  the  prosecution  of  business  en- 
terprises. In  reality  they  were  exiles.  On  the 
downfall  of  Lopez  II.  several  of  these  returned  with 
enlarged  views  of  government,  gained  by  intercourse 
with  those  more  liberally  instructed.  These,  the 
few  deserters  who  had  gone  over  to  the  invading 
army  and  were  now  set  free,  and  the  scanty  frag- 
ments of  the  army  of  Lopez,  were  all  there  was  from 
which  and  by  which  to  make  a  new  government  for 
the  nation  that  might  arise  from  the  ashes  of  the 
one  so  completely  destroyed. 

The  old  Paraguayan  nation  was  dead.  The  new 
Paraguayan  nation  was  not  yet  born.  The  country 
was  wholly  devastated  and  its  towns  in  ruins.  Of 
the    remnant   of   its   people    nine   out   of  ten    were 


456 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRLES 


women,  and  over  these  the  self-constituted  execu- 
tioners of  the  old  nation  held  a  claim  of  ;^23 5, 100,000 
for  the  costs  of  the  war,  and  an  additional  undefined 
amount  for  the  indemnity  of  their  citizens.  Yet  in 
the  face  of  all  these  discouragements,  that  little 
handful  of  exiles  and  war-  and  pestilence-worn  vet- 
erans set  themselves  to  fashion  a  constitutional  gov- 
ernment that  should  foster  a  nation  into  life.  It  is 
a  sublime  picture.  The  hurrying  nineteenth  cen- 
tury may  well  pause  to  contemplate  it. 

A  provisional  governing  junta  was  formed,  con- 
sisting of  three  natives  of  Paraguay,  two  of  whom 
had  been  in  exile  since  before  the  war ;  and  on 
November  25,  1870,  a  constitution  similar  to  that 
of  the  Argentine  Republic  (and  to  that  of  the  " 
United  States)  was  adopted.  It  guarantees  security 
of  person  and  property,  religious  liberty,  and  sum- 
mary punishment  to  any  one  who  may  attempt  to 
make  himself  dictator.  The  government  then  estab- 
lished is  in  three  departments, — Executive,  Legisla- 
tive, and  Judicial.  The  Chief  Executive  is  called 
President,  and,  together  with  a  Vice-President,  is 
elected  for  a  term  of  four  years.  They  are  chosen 
by  presidential  electors  chosen  by  the  people. 
Each  district  is  entitled  to  four  times  as  many 
presidential   electors   as  it  has  senators  and   depu- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


457 


ties.  The  President's  Cabinet  is  composed  of  a 
Minister  of  the  Interior,  Minister  of  Finance,  Min- 
ister of  Justice,  Public  Worship,  and  Public  Instruc- 
tion, and  Minister  of  War  and  the  Navy.  The 
President's  annual  salary  is  six  thousand  dollars,  that 
of  the  Vice-President  three  thousand  dollars,  and  of 
each  member  of  the  Cabinet  eighteen  hundred  dol- 
lars. 

The  Legislative  Department  consists  of  a  Senate 
and  a  House  of  Deputies.  The  senators  and  dep- 
uties are  chosen  directly  by  the  people.  A  senator 
is  allowed  for  every  twelve  thousand  inhabitants, 
and  a  deputy  for  every  six  thousand.  Six  years 
constitutes  the  senatorial  term,  and  four  years  that 
of  the  deputies.  One-third  of  the  former  and  one- 
half  of  the  latter  are  elected  every  two  years.  Both 
senators  and  deputies  receive  an  annual  salary  of 
five  hundred  dollars. 

The  Judicial  Department  consists  of  a  Supreme 
Court,  with  three  judges,  and  inferior  courts.  Each 
judge  of  the  supreme  bench  receives  a  salary  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  annum. 

Old  Paraguay,  or  the  portion  of  Paraguay  lying 
east  of  the  Paraguay  River,  is  divided  into  twenty- 
three  parts  called  Partidos.  Each  Partido  is  gov- 
erned by  a  chief  of  police  (military  governor),  as- 
u  39 


458 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


sisted  by  a  committee  of  administration.  The  portion 
lying  west  of  the  Paraguay  is  still  unsurveyed,  and  is 
almost  wholly  in  possession  of  wild  tribes  of  Indians. 
Before  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  of  limits  with 
the  Argentine  Republic,  that  nation  had  made  Villa 
Occidental,  on  the  Paraguay  River,  the  capital  of  this 
part  of  the  Gran  Chaco.  On  its  award  to  Paraguay, 
that  nation  continued  it  as  the  capital  of  its  Ter- 
ritory of  Gran  Chaco  and  changed  its  name  to  Villa 
Hayes.  On  the  26th  of  March,  1872,  the  constitu- 
tionally-elected Government  of  Paraguay  concluded 
a  treaty  of  limits  with  Brazil,  by  which  the  latter 
gained  as  a  war  indemnity  thirteen  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  square  miles  of  territory, — the  very  por- 
tion of  the  old  Missions  it  had  always  coveted,  in 
addition  to  that  formerly  ceded  by  Spain  to  Por- 
tugal. 

The  bed  of  the  Parana  was  then  fixed  as  the 
boundary  between  the  two  nations,  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Paraguay  to  the  great  falls  of  the  Parana 
(Salto  Grande),  south  latitude  27°  27'.  Besides  this 
cession  of  territory,  Brazil  claimed  a  cash  indemnity 
of  two  hundred  million  dollars,  which  Paraguay 
promised  to  pay.  The  Argentine  Republic  com- 
puted its  war  claim  at  thirty-five  million  dollars,  and 
Uruguay  estimated  its  claim  at  one  hundred  thou- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


459 


sand  dollars.  On  the  20th  of  April,  1883,  Uruguay 
waived  its  claim  against  Paraguay  for  this  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  of  war  indemnity,  thus 
giving  a  tangible  proof  that  it  wishes  the  prosperity 
of  its  impoverished  neighbor.  Of  course,  the  impov- 
erished nation  has  nothing  with  which  to  pay  either 
the  Argentine  or  Brazilian  claims,  nor  yet  the 
interest,  much  less  the  long  list  of  claims  for  indem- 
nity of  citizens.  But  so  long  as  both  nations  hold 
those  claims,  either  may  construe  an  attempt  upon 
the  part  of  the  other  to  appropriate  territory  in 
liquidation  thereof  as  detrimental  to  her  interests 
and  a  sufficient  ground  for  armed  intervention. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  new  government  was 
to  negotiate  a  loan  in  Great  Britain,  ostensibly  for 
internal  improvements.  The  disposition  made  of 
this  loan  was  not  satisfactorily  accounted  for  to  the 
people,  and  when  the  interest  fell  due  there  were 
no  funds  with  which  to  meet  it;  consequently  the 
credit  of  the  new  nation  was  destroyed,  or  rather 
failed  to  get  existence.  Notwithstanding  this  added 
disaster  it  struggled  on,  its  patient  people  still 
lioping  against  hope,  and  its  condition  has  been 
gradually,  slowly,  but  surely  improving.  Before 
the  war  a  principal  part  of  the  wealth  of  Paraguay 
consisted  in  its    immense    herds  of  cattle.     At  the 


460 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


close  of  the  war  there  were  not  enough  left  in 
the  country  to  furnish  beef  for  the  people.  In  the 
intervening  years  considerable  numbers  of  cattle 
have  been  taken  over  from  the  Argentine  Province 
of  Corrientes  to  restock  its  estancias,  until,  in  1882, 
it  was  estimated  that  there  were  five  hundred  thou- 
sand in  the  country. 

Since  the  war  the  burden  of  labor  has  rested  on 
the  women,  who  are  industrious  to  the  last  degree. 
They  dig,  plant,  tend,  and  gather  the  crops,  and 
then,  too  poor  to  find  other  means  of  conveyance, 
uncomplainingly  trudge  off  to  market  with  the  prod- 
uce upon  their  heads.  Judging  by  a  law  passed  in 
1883,  some  of  the  "lords  of  creation"  have  been 
willing  they  should  bear  the  burdens  alone.  That 
law  decrees  that  every  able-bodied  man  who  has  no 
visible  occupation  and  refuses  to  work,  shall  be  sent 
to  a  penal  colony  in  the  Gran  Chaco  as  a  vagrant 
and  put  to  work.  As  in  the  old  nation,  the  laborers 
are  of  the  mixed  Guarani  race  and  speak  the  Guarani 
tongue.  Few  of  the  Spanish-speaking  population 
are  found  outside  of  the  towns,  and  much  the  larger 
part  of  them  live  in  Asuncion  and  its  environs. 
Among  them  are  many  individuals  as  cultivated  and 
refined  as  are  to  be  found  in  any  Spanish-American 
city.     All  classes  are  noted  for  their  kind  disposi- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  46 1 

tlon  and  unbounded  hospitality.  "  Under  exceed- 
ingly adverse  circumstances  they  have  proved  them- 
selves as  generous  as  they  are  brave." 

One  of  the  first  steps  taken  by  the  new  govern- 
ment was  to  invite  immigration,  and  it  has  con- 
tinued persistently  in  the  attempt  to  recruit  its  pop- 
ulation from  the  excess  of  European  nations.  To 
that  end  it  has  offered  favorable  terms  for  tracts  of 
land  for  colonization  to  emigration  societies  in  the 
several  countries  of  Europe.  The  British  Govern- 
ment made  haste  to  publish  a  manifesto  warning  the 
subjects  of  Her  Majesty  of  the  dangers  and  diffi- 
culties to  be  encountered  there,  but  did  not  wholly 
deter  them.  The  societies  on  the  Continent  were 
also  measurably  successful, — so  much  so  that  the 
population  of  Paraguay  increased  thirty-three  per 
cent,  between  1870  and  1876.  In  1873  there  were 
two  thousand  three  hundred  foreigners  within  its 
bounds,  and  in  1879  the  number  had  increased  to 
seven  thousand.  One-third  of  these  immigrants  were 
Italians.  Next  after  these  in  number  were,  succes- 
sively, Brazilians,  Argentines,  Spaniards,  and  Portu- 
guese. 

While  the  general  invitation  given  could  not  dis- 
criminate between  nationalities,  a  strong  desire  was 

felt  to  induce  Germans  to  settle  in  the  country,  and 

39* 


462  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES, 

no  available  means  have  been  neglected  for  spread- 
ing throughout  Germany  an  intimation  of  the  cor- 
dial welcome  awaiting  them;  but  up  to  1876  only 
ninety  persons  had  availed  themselves  of  it.  In 
1 88 1  there  were  three  hundred  and  fifty  Germans 
in  Paraguay. 

In  1882  Congress  passed  a  law  providing  for 
the  sale  of  its  public  domain,  which  comprises 
nearly  the  whole  country.  By  this  law  the  lands 
are  distinguished,  according  to  their  nature,  as  agri- 
cultural and  grazing  lands.  The  Minister  of  the 
Interior  is  authorized  to  establish  agricultural  colo- 
nies on  the  former  and  dispose  of  the  latter  to  estan- 
ceros.  In  disposing  of  lands  for  colonization,  pref- 
erence is  to  be  given  to  those  lying  along  the  course 
of  navigable  rivers  and  actual  or  proposed  railroad 
routes.  The  agricultural  lands  are  divided  into  lots 
of  forty  acres  each,  and  immigrants  who  settle  on 
them  are  entitled  to  receive  from  the  national  treas- 
ury an  amount  sufficient  to  pay  their  passage  from 
the  port  where  they  embarked,  to  build  a  house  and 
purchase  the  necessary  farming  implements  and 
stock,  and  provisions  for  the  family  for  six  months, 
or,  in  extraordinary  cases,  for  a  year ;  and  at  the  end 
of  a  five-years'  residence  thereon,  to  the  deed  to 
eighty  acres  of  land.     Each  immigrant  also  has  the 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


463 


right  to  purchase  four  additional  lots  at  forty  cents 
per  acre. 

The  grazing  lands  are  distinguished  in  three 
classes,  according  to  their  quality  or  accessibility. 
The  prices  fixed  by  government  on  these  three 
classes  are  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  one  thousand 
dollars,  and  eight  hundred  dollars,  respectively,  per 
square  league.  This  offer  is  already  attracting  the 
attention  of  foreigners,  and  several  have  embarked 
and  are  preparing  to  embark  in  the  experiment  of 
cattle  raising. 

Upon  its  acquisition,  the  region  about  Villa  Hayes 
was  offered  for  colonization,  and  now  there  is  a 
thriving  agricultural  community  established  there. 
It  is  found  that  the  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  settle- 
ments of  English  and  German  agriculturists  soon 
double  in  value. 

Liberal  inducements  are  also  proposed  to  immi- 
grants wishing  to  engage  in  manufacturing  indus- 
tries. In  1 88 1  an  English  company  started  a  pot- 
tery at  Aragua,  forty  miles  from  Asuncion,  on  the 
railroad,  and  is  said  to  be  doing  well. 

The  results  thus  far  have  been  so  encouraging 
that  Paraguayan  colonization  schemes  are  receiving 
increasing  attention  in  the  Old  World.  The  vari- 
ous emigration  committees  in  Germany,  at  a  meeting 


^64  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

in  Frankfort,  in  January,  1884,  resolved  to  push  the 
matter.  The  Geographical  Society  of  Leipsic  has 
been  using  its  influence  in  the  same  direction  for 
some  time.  Nor  is  it  probable  that  there  is  any 
part  of  the  world  in  which  actual  settlers  can  find 
better  lands  or  a  finer  or  healthier  warm  climate 
awaiting  them.  The  mercury  in  the  summer  ranges 
from  85°  to  98°  Fahrenheit  at  Asuncion,  and  has 
rarely  if  ever  been  known  to  go  above  100°.  The 
winter  temperature  seldom  falls  below  40°.  The 
average  annual  rainfall  is  about  five  feet.  The  sur- 
face of  the  country  is  diversified.  Along  the  Para- 
guay River  the  eastern  shore  presents  an  unbroken 
line  of  forests.  On  the  western  side  immense  tracts 
of  prairie  are  varied  with  groves  of  palm  and  cocoa 
trees.  Ranges  of  low  mountains  traverse  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  eastern  division,  or  Paraguay  proper, 
and  the  southern  part  is  principally  low  prairies, 
with  many  lagoons  covered  with  a  rank  vegetation. 
The  forests  are  an  inestimable  source  of  wealth. 
Owing  to  the  timber  having  been  a  royal  monopoly 
during  colonial  times,  and  a  monopoly  of  native 
tyrant  rulers  afterwards,  they  are  still  almost  in  th'. 
state  of  their  primeval  magnificence.  Among  fores' 
trees,  seventy  kinds  have  been  classified  as  suitable 
for  building  purposes  and  forty-three  for  mechanica 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


465 


uses  and  cabinet-work,  thirty-eight  as  fruit-bearing 
and  eiglit  as  producing  material  that  can  be  woven. 
Several  of  these  varieties  of  timber  are  unknown  to 
the  forests  of  the  United  States.  As  immicrration 
continues,  the  export  of  lumber  and  other  products 
of  the  forests  promises  to  become  a  business  that 
will  assume  large  proportions.  The  ordinary  clothing 
of  the  laboring  population,  as  well  as  of  the  Indians 
of  the  Chaco,  is  made  by  them  from  indigenous 
textile  plants.  Among  these  is  cotton,  which  grows 
luxuriantly,  and  the  shrub-like  plants  continue  bear- 
ing from  ten  to  twelve  years.  Of  the  fruit-bearing 
trees  known  also  in  North  America,  the  most  com- 
mon is  the  orange.  Large  tracts  of  land  are  covered 
with  it,  growing  wild,  and  almost  every  country- 
house  is  embowered  in  their  beautiful  foliage.  Im- 
mense quantities  of  the  fruit  are  consumed  by  the 
people,  and  more  than  ten  millions  are  annually 
exported  to  the  cities  on  the  La  Plata.  They  are 
carried  in  open  piles  on  the  deck  of  river  steamers, 
and  passengers  are  at  liberty  to  help  themselves  at 
will.  Other  natural  fruits  are  made  into  didcc,  a 
moderate  portion  of  which  finds  its  way  into  the 
neighboring  republics.  Paraguayan  dulcc-cakes  are 
regarded  as  a  luxury  in  the  cities  on  the  Parana  and 
La  Plata.     They  are  made  like  a  "jelly-cake,"  with 


ee 


466 


LA    PLATA    COUNTRLES 


alternate  layers  of  the  native  pastry  or  bread  called 
cJiipa  and  dulce,  and  are  coated  with  a  frosting  of 
white  sugar  sometimes  ornamented  with  colors. 
Although  of  a  pleasant  flavor,  they  are  hard  and 
dry  when  they  reach  -those  markets. 

Of  cultivated  crops  mandioca  has  always  been 
regarded  as  the  most  important,  supplying  as  it  does 
the  principal  vegetable  for  the  table  and  the  dbmmon 
bread  of  the  people.  Tobacco  is  also  regarded  as 
an  indispensable  crop.  Men,  women,  and  children 
smoke  cigarettes,  and  are  rarely  seen  without  them 
in  their  mouths.  Nine  hundred  and  seventy-five 
thousand  pounds  of  tobacco  were  exported  in  1882. 
A  part  of  this  was  in  the  form  of  cigars,  which 
are  made  by  women.  Soil  and  climate  are  alike 
favorable  to  the  growth  of  the  coffee  tree,  and 
attention  is  beginning  to  be  directed  to  its  cultiva- 
tion in  large  plantations.  The  labor  of  these  also 
falls  upon  the  women.  Except  in  these  and  the 
newly-established  agricultural  colonies,  the  culti- 
vated crops  are  confined  to  the  cJiacras  surrounding 
the  country  houses.  The  average  size  of  the  cJiacra 
is  less  than  three  acres,  and  on  it  the  whole  sup- 
plies of  the  family  are  raised.  The  total  area  of 
cultivated  lands  and  crops  in  1882  was  given  as 
follows : 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 

Crops.  Acres. 

Maize,  wheat,  and  Ijarley     ....  210,000 

Mandioca  .......  125,700 

Tobacco      .......  41,500 

Sugar-cane 23,450 

Cotton  and  other  crops         ....  50,000 


467 


Total   .......     450,650 

From  its  earliest  history,  ycrba  mate,  or  Paraguay 
tea  (botanical  name  Ilex  Paraguayciisis),  has  gained  a 
greater  notoriety  than  any  other  article  produced  in 
Paraguay,  and  has  been  the  chief  source  of  revenue. 
P'rom  it  Francia  and  the  two  Lopezes  gained  their 
enormous  wealth,  as  did  the  Jesuit  fathers  before 
them.  Lopez  L  annually  exported  about  eight 
hundred  thousand  dollars'  worth.  The  last  year  of 
his  life  the  export,  of  which  he  had  the  monopoly, 
amounted  to  more  than  twelve  million  pounds,  of 
which  the  value  was  between  five  and  six  million 
dollars.  The  curing  of  iiiatt\  which,  like  all  other 
native  industries,  was  almost  wholly  destroyed  during 
the  war,  has  revived  with  the  return  of  peace  and 
is  regaining  something  of  its  former  importance. 
Eleven  million  nine  hundred  thousand  and  twenty- 
four  pounds  were  e.xported  in  188 1,  of  which  the 
official  value  was  $996,752. 

It  was  from  the  universal  use  of  the  leaves  of 
this   plant    in   what   was   then    known  as  Peru  that 


468  LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

Europeans  derived  the  custom  of  tea  drinking. 
Paraguay  tea  was  introduced  into  Europe  fifty  years 
before  the  Chinese  herb  was  known  there.  It  is 
said  that  the  latter  gained  the  precedence  by  an 
opinion  which  some  physicians  were  hired  to  give 
by  parties  interested  in  the  traffic,  that  the  Para- 
guay tea  was  injurious  to  health.  Quite  as  rea- 
sonable an  explanation  might  be  found  in  the  dif- 
ferent business  methods  of  the  parties  engaged  or 
interested  in  the  traffic  from  the  two  sections  of  the 
globe. 

The  plant  is  indigenous  to  the  entire  northern 
part  of  the  La  Plata  basin,  and  grows  spontaneously 
throughout  a  wider  district  than  the  combined  areas 
of  France  and  Germany.  In  no  part,  however,  does 
it  reach  such  perfection  as  in  the  locality  from  which 
it  took  its  name.  The  finest  species  is  said  to  be 
found  only  in  a  comparatively  small  district  lying 
north  of  Asuncion  and  east  of  the  Paraguay  River. 
This  variety  would  probably  thrive  under  cultivation 
in  all  sections  where  any  species  of  the  plant  is 
found  growing  wild.  The  increasing  demand  for 
it  in  European  markets  will  eventually  incite  to  its 
cultivation. 

Washburn  thus  describes  a  visit  to  the  yerbales  : 
"April  8.  This    morning   the  work  of  collecting 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  ^^n 

^i}^t.  ycrha  commenced.  The  process  of  curing  was  as 
follows  :  A  dry,  level  place  is  selected  and  a  circular 
spot  some  twenty-five  feet  in  diameter  made  perfectly 
smooth  and  hard,  and  a  layer  of  damp  clay  spread 
over  it  and  stamped  down  till  it  becomes  a  hard  and 
smooth  floor.  Within  this  space  a  number  of  small 
trees  are  set  into  the  ground  in  circles  of  about 
eighteen  feet  in  diameter.  The  tops  of  the  trees  arc 
bent  over  and  interwoven  into  each  other  so  that  an 
oval  roof  is  formed.  Then,  commencing  some  three 
feet  from  the  ground,  long  withs  are  woven  in  longi- 
tudinally with  the  upright  poles,  forming  a  sort  of 
open  basket-work  at  the  top.  The  .peons  next  go 
in  search  of  the  ycrba^  which  they  collect  and  bring 
to  the  camp.  They  take  with  them  a  sort  of  basket 
made  of  thongs  of  raw-hide,  that  they  adjust  on 
their  shoulders  and  neck  in  such  a  manner  that  they 
carry  enormous  loads. 

"  Provided  with  this  and  a  hatchet,  the  swarthy 
native  plunges  into  the  woods  to  look  for  \\\q  ycrba. 
That  most  coveted  is  the  bush  from  six  to  ten  feet 
high,  which  he  cuts  down,  and  then,  chipping  off 
all  the  branches  and  leaves,  whips  them  into  his 
basket.  It  is  the  medium-sized  shrub  that  is  most 
sought.     Sometimes   the   bush    grows  to  a  tree  of 

twenty-five  feet  or  more,  but  those  are  left  unmo- 

40 


470  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

lested  when  the  smaller  shrub  can  be  found.  So 
soon  as  the  peon  collects  as  much  as  he  can  carry- 
he  returns  to  the  camp,  and  the  branches,  having  the 
leaves  still  on  them,  are  passed  quickly  through  the 
blaze  of  a  hot  fire,  and  then  the  leaves  are  stripped 
off  and  thrown  upon  the  ground.  When  a  sufficient 
quantity  has  been  gathered  in  this  way  the  leaves 
are  all  taken  up  and  worked  into  the  wicker-work 
of  the  oval  structure  before  described.  They  are 
worked  in  with  great  care  and  so  as  to  be  of  a 
uniform  thickness  over  the  whole  surface.  When 
this  is  finished  the  floor  beneath  is  swept  out, 
and  a  pile  of  wood  that  has  long  been  cut  and 
seasoned  is  placed  underneath  and  a  fire  kindled. 
The  heat  soon  becomes  very  great,  and  much  care 
is  taken  that  it  reaches  all  parts  overhead  alike, 
so  that  none  of  the  yerba  is  scorched  and  none  that 
is  not  completely  dried.  To  cure  it  thoroughly 
every  particle  of  moisture  must  be  driven  away, 
and  as  there  are  always  more  or  less  of  the  stems 
of  the  wood  of  considerable  thickness  it  is  not 
considered  safe  to  withdraw  the  fire  until  it  has 
been  in  full  flame  for  some  thirty-six  hours. 
When  the  roasting  process  is  finished  the  fire  and 
ashes  are  drawn  out,  the  floor  carefully  swept, 
and  the  now  cured  yerba  is  shaken  to  the  ground. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


471 


It  is  then  gathered  up  and  placed  under  cover  ready 
for  packing. 

"  The  packing  process  is  not  the  least  singular  of 
W\^ ycrba-Q,\xx\x\^  operation.  First  the  green  hide  of 
a  large  ox  is  taken,  and  a  strip  about  five  feet  by- 
two  and  a  half  is  taken  and  sewed  up  with  thongs 
from  the  same  hide  in  the  form  of  a  square  pillow- 
case. It  is  then  attached  to  strong  stakes  driven 
into  the  ground  and  a  quantity  of  the  ycrba  is  put 
into  it,  when  a  couple  of  stout  peons  proceed  to 
press  it  down  with  heavy  sticks  of  wood  in  the 
form  of  handspikes.  It  is  a  very  slow  process,  as 
the  ycrba  is  beaten  and  hammered  in  until  the  mauls, 
though  pointed  at  the  ends,  can  hardly  make  an 
indentation.  When  as  much  has  been  forced  in  by 
this  operation  as  possibly  can  be,  the  open  sides  are 
brought  together  and  laced  up  with  thongs  of  the 
green  hide,  and  then  it  is  left  to  harden  in  the  sun. 
What  with  close  packing  and  the  contraction  of 
the  hide  by  exposure  to  the  sun,  it  becomes  almost 
as  hard  as  a  rock.  The  bales,  called  here  torios, 
usually  weigh  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two 
hundred  pounds  each." 

Numbers  of  these  tcrcios  may  be  seen  at  the 
various  ports  along  the  river  and  being  unloaded 
before  alniacois  in  the  towns.     Small  ones  weighing 


472 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


an  aroba  (twenty-four  pounds)  are  not  uncommon, 
and  those  of  a  half  or  even  a  quarter  aroba  put  up 
in  the  same  way  may  sometimes  be  encountered. 
The  pounding  to  which  \\iQ  yerba  has  been  subjected 
in  the  process  of  packing  has  reduced  the  dry  leaves 
and  twigs  to  a  fine  powder  of  a  pale-green  color 
tinged  with  brown,  which  is  highly  aromatic.  It 
is  called  yei^ba  mate  from  the  cup  from  which  it  is 
partaken  of,  and  is  more  frequently  simply  called  a 
mate.  The  cup  is  made  from  a  small  gourd,  grown 
for  the  purpose,  in  many  fanciful  shapes  and  orna- 
mented on  the  outside  by  various  dies  and  shallow 
cuttings  or  markings  with  a  hot,  pointed  iron.  A 
circular  opening  an  inch  in  diameter  is  made  in  one 
side  to  admit  the  bombilla^  a  silver  tube  with  a 
strainer  on  the  end  to  prevent  the  powder  entering 
the  mouth.  Long  strings  of  mate  cups  are  a  con- 
spicuous feature  of  all  La  Plata  markets.  The 
opening  in  the  side  is  sometimes  rimmed  with  silver 
or  gold,  and  other  decorations  of  the  precious  metals 
added.  Occasionally  a  cup  may  be  seen  made  from 
some  other  material.  I  saw  one  made  from  a  small 
cocoanut  shell  that  was  bound  with  gold,  supported 
on  a  golden  trident,  and  decorated  on  its  opposite 
sides  with  butterflies,  whose  gauzy  gold  wings  were 
sprinkled  with  diamonds. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  ^y^ 

To  prepare  the  tea,  which  is  the  universal  bev- 
erage of  the  La  Plata  countries  and  the  unfailing 
token  of  hospitality,  the  cup  is  half  filled  with  the 
powder,  with  or  without  sugar,  the  bombilla  inserted 
and  the  cup  filled  with  boiling  water, — for  which  the 
kettle  is  always  in  readiness, — and  the  hot  liquid  is 
sucked  slowly  through  the  tube.  In  the  upper 
classes  of  society  a  servant  is  always  in  waiting  to 
serve  the  Diate.  Among  the  laboring  class  a  member 
of  the  family  may  present  it.  The  relationship  of 
godparent  is  recognized  by  law,  and  it  is  very  cus- 
tomary for  the  gente  dccente  to  sustain  this  relation 
to  children  of  the  peon  class.  It  is  often  a  god- 
child who  brings  in  the  mate  and  otherwise  serves 
about  one's  person  and  is  the  attendant  when  travel- 
ling. 

Ycrba  mate  is  the  one  indispensable  luxury  of  all 
classes  throughout  the  La  Plata  countries.  A  cup 
of  the  tea  is  taken  the  first  thing  in  the  morning, 
and  also  after  the  mid-day  siesta.  It  is  presented 
to  a  visitor  within  a  few  minutes  after  entering  a 
house,  and  is  not  infrequently  tasted  by  the  hostess 
before  being  passed  to  the  guest.  The  same  cup 
passes  from  guest  to  guest  and  to  the  several  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  being  refilled  as  required.     Upon 

entering  a  house   and    finding  the  lady  taking    her 

40* 


474 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


mate,  she  has  immediately  withdrawn  the  bombilla 
from  her  h'ps  and  passed  it  to  me.  I  have  also  fre- 
quently seen  the  servant  trying  the  flavor  through 
the  bombilla  while  bringing  in  the  mate. 

The  cacao  or  cocoa  tree,  from  which  chocolate  \^ 
obtained,  is  also  among  the  spontaneous  productions 
of  Paraguay. 

The  mode  of  preparing  it  for  market  is  not  so 
laborious  as  of  the  mate.  The  tree  is  an  ever- 
green, and  grows  from  twelve  to  twenty  feet  high. 
The  fruit  or  pod  is  shaped  something  like  a  single 
banana,  and  its  pulp  is  full  of  seeds  resembling 
somewhat  those  of  the  watermelon.  The  trees 
begin  to  bear  when  three  years  old,  and  ripen  two 
crops  in  a  year.  The  fruit  is  picked  or  knocked 
from  the  trees  with  long  poles,  and  piled  in  heaps 
for  three  or  four  days  to  ferment  and  let  the  pulp 
soften.  The  seeds  are  then  easily  separated  from 
the  pulp,  and  when  dried  are  ground  and  pressed 
into  the  crude  chocolate  cakes  of  commerce. 

The  India-rubber  tree  also  abounds  in  the  forests, 
but  as  yet  its  produce  is  not  an  article  of  export. 

The  only -Paraguayan  manufactures  that  at  pres- 
ent have  any  notoriety  beyond  its  borders  are  laces 
made  by  the  women  and  jewelry  made  by  its  gold- 
smiths, both  industries  being  relics  of  the  skill  in 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


475 


these  departments  of  the  fine  arts  gained  under  the 
teaching  of  the  Jesuits  in  the  era  of  their  dominion. 
The  lace  industry  embraces  a  large  variety  of  ar- 
ticles, such  as  shawls,  mantillas,  scarfs  for  the  head, 
curtains,  tidies,  handkerchiefs,  edgings,  insertings, 
hammocks,  and  many  others,  which  find  a  ready 
sale  throughout  South  America.  A  Paraguayan 
lace  handkerchief  sells  in  Buenos  Ayres  and  Monte- 
video for  from  three  to  fifteen  dollars.  Finger-rings 
are  the  only  specimens  of  the  skill  of  Paraguayan 
goldsmiths  that  I  encountered.  They  are  composed 
of  a  number  of  slender  rings  so  looped  together  that 
when  worn  they  have  the  appearance  of  a  heavy, 
solid  ring  slightly  chased.  When  taken  from  the 
finger,  with  a  slight  shake  one  becomes  a  chain  of 
several  round  links.  These  rings  sell  at  about  one 
dollar  per  link.  The  goldsmiths  of  Paraguay  were 
noted  for  the  excellence  of  their  workmanship 
throughout  the  colonial  period,  and,  so  far  as  is 
known,  retained  their  pre-eminence  until  the  de- 
struction of  the  nation.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  part 
of  the  world  in  which  so  much  fine  jewelry  has  been 
worn  by  barefooted  belles.  Only  within  the  past 
thirty-five  years  did  shoes  become  essential  for  the 
elite,  and  their  use  is  still  almost  wholly  unknown 
among  the  laboring  class. 


4^5  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

In  a  country  so  impoverished  and  with  such  a 
debt  hanging  over  it,  how  to  create  a  revenue  is  a 
question  of  the  utmost  importance,  and  one  that 
may  well  puzzle  its  most  astute  statesmen.  As  yet 
customs  duties  are  the  chief  source  from  which  the 
national  exchequer  is  supplied.  In  1 88 1  the  rev- 
enue from  all  sources  was  only  ;^5 24,000,  and  of 
this  amount  ^426,940  were  customs  receipts.  In 
1880  the  imports  amounted  to  $1,030,000,  and  the 
exports  to  ;^ 1, 163, 000.  This  excess  of  $160,000  of 
exports  over  imports  shows  at  least  a  healthy  state 
of  economy  in  the  use  of  imported  goods  that  au- 
gurs well  for  the  final  liquidation  of  the  national 
debt.  In  188 1  the  imports  amounted  to  only 
$1,291,943.  Formerly  there  was  a  duty  on  both 
exports  and  imports,  by  which  it  was  sought  to 
distribute  the  burdens  of  government  equitably 
among  producers  and  consumers  of  all  classes,  the 
exporters  of  native  produce  as  well  as  the  con- 
sumers of  imported  goods,  which  are  not  neces- 
sarily the  same  persons ;  nor  does  it  follow  that  the 
largest  producers  are  consumers  of  imported  arti- 
cles to  any  appreciable  extent.  The  export  duty 
was  abolished  in  1877.  The  chief  imports  are 
cotton  goods,  -wines  and  malt  liquors,  and  flour. 
The   chief   exports    are   mate^   hides,   tobacco,   and 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  ^yj 

fruits.  The  affairs  of  the  government  arc  so  eco- 
nomically administered  that  even  with  its  small 
revenue  its  financial  condition  is  gaining  a  brighter 
aspect.  In  1 88 1,  when  the  ordinary  expenses  of 
the  government  amounted  to  $268,834  (of  which 
;^7i,748  was  for  the  Department  of  Justice,  Wor- 
ship, and  Education),  there  was  at  the  end  of  the 
year  a  balance  to  the  credit  of  the  government  of 
$89,254.  At  the  end  of  1882  there  was  a  balance 
of  $144,621,  and  treasury  orders  had  risen  from 
eight  per  cent,  to  twenty-five  per  cent. 

Since  its  organization,  in  1880,  **  The  Bank  of 
Paraguay,"  located  in  the  capital,  has  furnished  the 
currency  of  the  country.  It  is  a  private  institu- 
tion, with  a  capital  of  $100,000  (authorized  capital 
$500,000).  In  recognition  of  its  utility,  it  is  exempt 
from  taxation.  At  the  session  of  Congress  in  1883 
a  law  was  passed  to  charter  a  national  bank  similar 
to  the  National  Bank  of  the  Argentine  Republic, 
with  an  authorized  capital  of  $2,000,000,  to  be  the 
fiscal  agent  of  the  government,  which  is  one  of  the 
largest  stockholders.  As  there  is  a  large  traffic  with 
the  Argentine  Republic,  and  the  balance  of  trade  is 
in  favor  of  the  latter,  Argentine  national  notes  are 
current  in  Asuncion  at  a  premium. 

The  probability  is  that  the  internal  commerce  of 


478 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


the  country  will  for  an  indefinite  future  depend 
mainly  on  the  heads  of  the  women  and  bullock- 
carts,  where  the  latter  are  available.  There  is  only 
one  railroad  in  the  country,  and  that  is  only  forty- 
five  miles  in  length  and  badly  out  of  repair.  It 
Avas  built  by  Lopez  II.  for  the  transportation  of 
troops.  He  had  the  headquarters  of  his  army,  until 
forced  to  retreat  into  the  interior,  at  Paraguari,  its 
northern  terminus.  In  1877  the  government  sold 
this  railroad  to  a  private  company  for  ;^  1,000,000, 
which  was  paid  in  treasury  scrip.  The  object  of  the 
sale  was  to  assist  in  paying  the  internal  national 
debt.  Four  classes  of  passenger  cars  are  used  on 
it.  The  third-class  passengers  ride  on  wooden 
benches  in  box  cars.  In  the  fourth  class  they  stand 
on  a  platform  car  surrounded  by  only  a  railing.  A 
street  car  connects  the  depot  with  the  steamer 
landing.  In  1882  there  were  only  four  trains  per 
week  leaving  Asuncion  in  the  morning  and  return- 
ing in  the  evening,  and  the  whole  traffic  over  the 
road  during  the  year  amounted  only  to  ^61,207. 
The  telegraph  in  connection  with  this  railroad 
was  the  only  one  in  the  Republic  until  March, 
1884,  when  one  called  Paso  de  la  Patria,  connecting 
Asuncion  with  Corrientes,  was  inaugurated.  This 
brings    Paraguay   into    telegraphic    communication 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  ^yg 

with    Buenos   Ayres,  and    thence  with  the   outside 
world. 

Foreign  commerce  is  wholly  dependent  on  the 
Parana  and  Paraguay  Rivers,  and  until  quite  re- 
cently all  that  went  beyond  the  La  Plata  basin 
had  to  pass  through  the  Argentine  Republic  or  the 
port  of  Montevideo.  The  transit  trade  through  the 
Argentine  Republic  in  1882  amounted  to  $64^,'/go, 
of  which  more  than  eleven  times  as  much  went  from 
as  came  to  Paraguay.  Two  steamers  per  week,  sail- 
ing under  the  Argentine  flag,  are  despatched  from 
Buenos  Ayres  for  Asuncion.  A  Brazilian  company 
sends  one  Paraguay  river  steamer  per  month  from 
Montevideo.  The  official  report  for  1882  gave  the 
following  returns  of  Paraguayan  ports  : 

No.  of  Vessels. 

Steamers.  Tonnage. 

Entries  ......  452  100,450 

Departures 483  123,500 

Sailing, 

Entries 170  4,396 

Departures     .         .         .         .         .86  6,598 

Of  these,  one  hundred  and  twenty  sailing  vessels 
and  two  steamers  carried  the  Paraguayan  flag.  In 
1883  a  company  was  formed  to  run  small  steamships 


480  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

between  Asuncion  and  Spain,  stopping  at  the  ports 
of  Uruguay  and  the  Argentine  Republic.  The  first 
ship  built  for  this  line  was  named  **  Solis,"  in  honor 
of  the  discoverer  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata.  The  second 
was  named  "Colon"  (Columbus). 

The  United  States  has  little  or  no  part,  directly, 
in  the  commerce  of  Paraguay.  It  has  had  neither 
diplomatic  nor  consular  representative  there  since 
the  Paraguayan  war.  Whatever  business  is  trans- 
acted with  the  people  of  the  "  Great  Republic  of  the 
North"  is  done  through  its  consul  residing  in  Mon- 
tevideo, more  than  a  thousand  miles  away,  the  two 
little  republics  being  united  as  one  consulate.  Thus 
the  encouragement  of  seeing  the  "  star-spangled" 
representative  of  popular  sovereignty  in  their  midst 
is  denied  to  this  people  struggling  so  hard  to  attain 
it.     The  monarchies  of  Europe  are  duly  represented. 

One  of  the  first  cares  of  the  new  government 
was  to  provide  for  public  schools.  True,  there  had 
always  been  a  farce  of  providing  public  instruction, 
and  in  the  last  year  of  the  administration  of  Lopez 
I.  it  was  made  compulsory.  But  the  education  was 
not  made  secular,  and  hence  the  law  defeated  itself. 
There  was  then  only  one  school  in  Paraguay  for 
what,  in  their  own  parlance,  was  dignified  as  higher 
education^  and  it  has  been  estimated  that  at  the  end 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


481 


of  his  administration  not  one-third  as  many  of  the 
people  could  read  as  at  the  era  of  independence. 
In  1874  steps  were  taken  to  improve  tlie  efficiency 
of  the  schools  by  the  importation  of  improved  text- 
books. There  is  a  national  college  in  Asuncion, 
with  a  full  corps  of  professors,  and  several  municipal 
schools.  There  is  also  a  public  library  containing 
several  thousand  volumes,  among  them  the  works 
of  the  American  authors, — Kent,  Story,  Wheaton, 
Greenleaf,  Bancroft,  Prescott,  Motley,  and  Irving, — 
and  a  full  set  of  *'  Appleton's  Encyclopaedia." 

There  seems  to  be  an  honest  effort  for  the  enlight- 
enment of  the  people ;  and,  considering  its  income, 
a  large  amount  is  expended  for  public  schools.  But 
until  teachers  also  can  be  brought  to  them  from 
countries  that  have  heretofore  enjoyed  better  privi- 
leges, the  progress  of  popular  education  must  be 
slow. 

The  aq-ents  of  the  American  and  British  Bible 
Societies  have  carried  their  work  into  Paraguay,  and 
in  a  few  instances  evangelical  ministers  from  the 
coast  cities  have  held  religious  services  in  Asuncion 
and  its  environs. 

It  is  no  longer  the  duty  of  the  Postmaster-General 

of  Paraguay  to  examine  every  one's  mail.     If  it  were, 

his  would  be  no  sinecure  office,  as  is  shown  by  the 
Y         ee  41 


482 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


following  summary  of  its  postal   service  for   three 
consecutive  years ; 


Number  of  Letters  Transmitted. 

1880. 

1881. 

1882. 

Inland 

Foreign  (received) 

Foreign  (sent) 

20,796 
30,860 
15.178 

34,117 
47,134 
48,862 

54,154 
60,059 
61,602 

Post-office  receipts 

$1,^12 

$2,227 

$2,306 

For  self-protection,  an  army  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  cavalry  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  infantry  is 
maintained  at  government  expense.  A  part  of  this 
small  force  is  kept  at  Asuncion  and  the  remainder 
on  the  frontier.  In  addition  to  this,  every  able- 
bodied  man  between  eighteen  and  fifty-five  years  of 
age  is  regarded  as  a  member  of  the  Reserve,  or 
Home  Guard,  and  in  an  emergency  may  be  called 
upon  for  military  service. 

There  has  been  no  general  census  published  since 
1879.  As  given  at  that  time  the  entire  population 
was  484,048,  of  whom  61,000  were  civilized  Indians, 
70,000  wild  Indians,  and  7000  foreigners.  In  1882 
the  population  of  its  principal  towns  was  given  at 
98,902,  as  follows : 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA, 


483 


Asuncion 

20,000 

Villa  Rica    . 

12,570 

Villa  Concepcion  . 

.     10,697 

Villa  San  Pedro    . 

9,706 

Villa  Luque 

8,878 

Villa  San  Estanislao 

7,453 

Villa  Itangua 

.       6,948 

Villa  Ita 

6,332 

Paraguari 

5,315 

Humaita 

.       3,868 

Villa  Pillar    . 

3,722 

Villa  Jaguaron 

•      3.413 

The  city  of  Asuncion,  w 


lich  before  the  war  had 


double  its  present  population  and  much  more  than 
double  its  present  magnificence,  is  delightfully  lo- 
cated on  a  high  bluff  overlooking  a  bend  in  the 
Paraguay  River.  It  commands  a  fine  view  of  the 
river  for  a  long  distance  and  of  a  broad  sweep  of 
the  surrounding  country,  bounded  on  the  southern 
horizon  by  the  blue  peak  of  the  Lambare  Mountain. 
The  city  was  once  laid  out  in  regular  squares  regard- 
less of  the  inequalities  of  the  ground  ;  but,  except 
the  public  buildings  surrounding  the  plaza,  there  is 
little  regularity  in  the  appearance  of  the  modern 
city,  and,  by  the  washing  of  heavy  rains,  the  streets 
in  many  places  have  become  almost  impassable 
gullies.     At  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  Lopez  II.  was 


484 


LA  PLATA    COUNTRIES 


building  a  magnificent  palace  for  himself,  also  a 
theatre  covering  about  four  acres.  Neither  of  these 
buildings  were  finished,  and,  with  the  remains  of 
others  that  were  destroyed  in  the  bombardment  of 
the  city  or  have  since  fallen  to  decay  because  of  the 
destruction  of  its  inhabitants,  give  to  the  first  capital 
of  the  La  Plata  countries  the  appearance  of  great 
antiquity,  make  it  "  a  city  of  magnificent  ruins." 
But  if  above  these  ruins  rises  a  higher  type  of 
liberty,  a  more  perfect  form  of  government,  a  truer 
nationality,  a  nobler  civilization,  no  tears  need 
bedew  their  crumbling  walls.  That  such  is  and 
shall  be  the  case  there  now  seems  no  reason  to 
doubt. 

Only  ten  years  after  the  army  of  occupation  left 
by  the  conquerors  had  been  withdrawn  from  the 
prostrate  nation.  President  Caballero  gave  this  en- 
couraging glimpse  of  its  condition  in  his  message 
to  Congress : 

"  We  begin  to  experience  at  last  the  result  of 
the  patient  labor  we  have  undergone  in  raising 
the  country  from  its  prostration,  in  repairing  past 
disasters,  and  in  giving  a  new  impulse  to  our  onward 
march.  We  have  required  a  large  measure  of 
patience  to  attain  these  results ;  but,  fortunately, 
after  having  overcome  the  pressure  of  great  difficul- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


485 


ties,  we  are  now  able  to  feel  assured  that  the  work 
of  national  reconstruction  is  on  a  firm  foundation 
and  that  the  country  is  once  more  moving  forward 
with  a  steady  step  to  a  prosperous  future.  In  this 
noble  work  it  is  consoling  to  observe  that  the  people 
themselves  have  taken  the  most  important  part. 
The  cruel  misfortunes  which  they  have  had  to 
endure  for  a  time  saddened  their  spirit,  but  they 
were  not  able  to  crush  it ;  and  to-day  the  noble 
work  which'  has  been  dignified  by  their  sufferings 
begins  to  exhibit  the  victory  which  peace  can  attain 
for  a  country. 

"  This  transformation  is  exerting  a  happy  influence 
in  behalf  of  public  order.  The  Constitution  is  no 
longer  a  dead  letter.  Its  prescriptions  are  no  longer 
faithless  promises.  The  independent  action  of  the 
different  departments  of  the  government  is  no  longer 
a  lie.  The  sacred  guarantees  of  life,  honor,  and 
property  are  no  longer  vain  chimeras. 

"  Everything  now  favors  the  advancement  of  the 
country.  .  .  .  The  riches  of  a  nation  are  not  meas- 
ured by  its  size,  but  by  its  cultivation,  its  civiliza- 
tion, its  commerce,  its  industries;  and  our  every 
energy  should  be  directed  to  the  development  of 
the  elements  which  so  marvellously  exist  around  us, 
and  in  which  our  future  greatness  must  consist. 


486 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


"  The  state  of  the  country  is  eminently  satisfactory; 
our  pastoral  industry  is  increasing;  our  agriculture 
is  occupying  larger  areas  ;  our  commerce  is  assum- 
ing greater  importance ;  and  our  industries  are 
gradually  expanding.  What  is  more,  all  the  depart- 
ments of  government  are  working  harmoniously 
and  in  unison;  while  the  administration  of  justice, 
through  the  courts — those  safeguards  of  the  rights 
of  the  people — moves  on  with  commendable  regu- 
larity." 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


487 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

EPITOME   OF   PARAGUAYAN   HISTORY. 

Discovered  by  Sebastian  Cabot,  in  the  employ 

of  Spain 1527 

Asuncion  founded     .         .         .         August  15,   1537 
Paraguay  a  Spanish  colony  till  18 ii,  when  Dr. 
Don  Pedro  Somerella,  secretary  of  Governor 
Velasco,  became  the  leader  of  the  revolution 
of  independence,  which  was  secured  without 
a  battle. 
Informal  Congress  assembled   .         .    June   16,   181 1 
Paraguayan  independence  announced  June   17,   181 1 

FIRST   GOVERNING   JUNTA. 

General  Fulgencio  Yegros,  Dr.  Jose  Gasper 
Rodriguez  Francia,  General  Don  Juan  Pe- 
dro Caballero,  Padre  Bogardin,  Don  Fer- 
nando Mora. 

SECOND  GOVERNING  JUNTA,  iSlI. 

General  Fulgencia  Yegros,  General  Don  Juan 
Pedro  Caballero,  Padre  Bogardin,  Don  Fer- 
nando Mora,  Don  Gregorio  de  La  Ccrda. 


488  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

Dr.  Jose   Gasper   R.  Francia   recalled  to  the 

government  as  Director  of  the  Junta     .  1813 
Junta  abolished  and  succeeded  by  a  Consulate, 

October,   18 13 

CONSULS. 

Dr.  Jose  Gasper  R.  Francia,  General  Fulgencio 

Yegros. 

« 

Consulate  expired    ....     October,   1814 
Dr.  J.  G.  R.  Francia,  "Dictator  of  Paraguay"^ 

1814-17 
Dr.  J.  G.  R.  Francia,  "  Perpetual   Dictator  of 
Paraguay"     1817-40 

Independence  acknowledged  by  Spain      .         .   1825 
By  Argentine  Confederation     .         .         .         .1852 

By  Great  Britain 1853 

By  United  States 1868 

Provisional  Government,  after  the  death  of 
Francia,  called  by  his  secretary,  and  com- 
posed of  four  generals  of  divisions  and  him- 
self. 

People  called  a  Congress,  Januaiy  23,  1841, 
and  appointed  Triumvirate. 

Triumvirate  dissolved        .         .    February  27,   1841 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


489 


General  Mariano  Roqiie  Alonso,  as  Military 
Governor,  and  Carlos  Antonio  Lopez,  as  his 
secretary,  call  a  "Congress,"  and  from  it  re- 
ceive the  title  of  consuls. 

Carlos  Antonio  Lopez,  General  Mariano  R. 
Alonso,  Consuls 1841-44 

Consulate  abolished  and  the  name  of  *'  Presi- 
dent" adopted 1844 


1844-62 

1862-70 

1865-70 

March   i,   1870 


Carlos  Antonio  Lopez,  "  President" 

Francisco  Solano  Lopez         " 

Paraguayan  war 

Francisco  Solano  Lopez  killed 

Provisional  Governing  Junta,  composed  of  C. 
Laizaga,  C.  A.  Riverola,  J,  D.  de  Bodega, 
established  by  the  armies  of  the  Triple  Al- 
liance at  Asuncion         .         .        August   15,   1869 

Provisional  treaty  of  peace   made  with  allies, 

June  2,   1870 

Constitution  adopted         .         .  November  25,   1870 

C.  A.  Riverola  elected  President  December  10,   1870 

Don  Salvador  Zovellanos  elected  President  for 
three  years    ....    December   12,   187 1 

Unsuccessful  attempt  by  revolution  to  over- 
throw the  government  of  President  Zovel- 
lanos    .....  March  2'}^,   1872 

Treaty  of  limits  with  Brazil  ratified  October  12,   1872 


490 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES. 


Senor  Don  Bautista  Gil,  President    .         .         .  1874 
Treaty    of   limits    with    Argentine    Republic 

signed  at  Buenos  Ayres     .     February  3,  1876 

Senor  Don  Candido  Bareiro  elected  President  .  1876 

General  B.  Caballero,  President        .         .         .  1882 


PART    V. 


BRAZILIAN  LA  PLATA. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

BRAZILIAN   LA   PLATA. 

While  Brazil  cannot  be  claimed  as  a  La  Plata 
country,  in  considering  the  part  of  the  continent 
drained  by  that  river  and  most  accessible  through 
it,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  a  no  insignificant 
portion  belongs  to  that  Empire,  comprising  its 
Provinces  of  Sao  Pedro  de  Rio  Grande  de  Sul 
(usually  called  simply  Rio  Grande),  Parana,  and 
Matto  Grosso,  with  the  larger  part  of  Sao  Paulo 
and  a  corner  of  Goyaz  and  Minas  Geraes, — an  area 
equal  to  that  of  Texas,  Minnesota,  Georgia,  Michi- 
gan, and  California. 

On  entering  Brazil  a  passport  is  necessary.  This 
should  be  procured  before  leaving  one's  own  coun- 
try; but  if  that  precaution  has  been  neglected,  ap- 
plication may  be  made  to  its  representative  (minister 
plenipotentiary  or  consul)  at  the  port  it  is  desired 
to  enter.  The  passport  is  vised  by  the  local  officers  of 
each  town  or  district  visited,  and  his  seal  affixed,  for 
which  a  small  fee  is  paid.     Until  this  has  been  done 

42  493 


494  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

the  stranger  has  no  right  there  and  no  rights  to  be 
respected.  Like  the  natives,  the  foreigner  must  give 
three  days'  public  notice  of  his  intention  before  he 
can  leave  the  Empire,  or  else  furnish  a  security 
who  will  be  responsible  for  any  debts  that  may 
afterwards  be  proved  against  him.  A  passport  to 
leave  Brazil  costs  three  dollars. 

A  knowledge  of  the  Portuguese  language  is  as 
essential  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river  as  of  the 
Spanish  on  the  western.  But  he  who  has  mastered 
the  one  will  soon  make  himself  understood  in  the 
other.  Although  many  spend  months  or  even  years 
without  mastering  more  than  the  commonest  phrases, 
he  who  must  depend  on  expressing  his  thoughts 
through  an  interpreter  will  always  find  himself  at  a 
disadvantage.  The  ease  with  which  a  language  may 
be  "  picked  up,"  and  the  difficulty  of  an  adult's  ac- 
quiring it,  are  both  exaggerated  in  the  thoughts 
of  those  who  have  never  tried  the  experiment.  An 
ability  to  read  and  write  a  language  may  be  acquired 
anywhere  by  study,  and  will  be  found  of  great  ad- 
vantage on  entering  the  lands  where  it  is  spoken, 
and  especially  so  in  these  countries.  The  ability  to 
converse  will  then  be  acquired  with  the  education 
of  the  ear,  and  a  few  months'  practice  will  give  one 
with  average  linguistic  ability  a  fair  command  of  it. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


495 


It  is  customary  for  travellers  in  Brazil — as  also  in 
the  interior  of  the  Spanish  La  Plata — to  carry  their 
own  beds.  The  hammock  is  the  favorite  bed  of 
the  natives,  and  very  handsome  ones  are  made  by 
Brazilian  women. 

In  crossing  the  river  a  new  money  system  is  en- 
countered, although  some  familiarity  with  it  may 
have  been  gained  in  the  neighboring  republics.  In 
the  Brazilian  system  the  rcy  is  the  unit  of  value.  Its 
fractions  and  multiples  follow  the  decimal  system. 
The  following  table  shows  its  denominations  and 
their  practical  equivalent  in  the  money  of  the  United 
States : 

20  (vento)        reis  =    .         .         ,         .         .  $0.01 


100  (ciento) 
200  (doscientos) 
500  (quinientos) 
1000  (mil) 
2000  (dos  mil) 


= 05 

^^ 10 

= 25 

(written  i$ooo)  =    .         .       .50 
(      "      2$ooo)  =   .         .     1. 00 


The  smaller  silver  coins  are  so  liberally  alloyed 
as  to  make  them  accepted  with  reluctance  beyond 
the  border  of  the  country,  but  the  2$ooo  piece  is  as 
readily  accepted  in  Uruguay  and  some  parts  of 
Argentina  as  their  own  coins.  A  very  poor  paper 
scrip  supplies  the  greater  part  of  the  circulating 
medium  of  the  Empire  and  fluctuates  much  in  value, 


496 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


rarely  being  less  than  ten  per  cent,  below  par.  The 
English  sovereign  is  legal  tender  at  Z$Z(^o,  and  is 
thus  virtually  a  Brazilian  coin.  A  letter  of  credit 
on  some  reliable  and  well-known  bank*  is  the  most 
convenient  method  of  carrying  funds  here,  as  the 
world  over.  Next  to  it,  a  draft  on  a  well-known 
bank  in  England  is  most  desirable. 

With  a  passport,  a  couch,  a  ready  tongue,  and  a 
well-filled  purse,  God  speed  the  visitor  to  Western 
Brazil. 

All,  or  nearly  all,  the  area  of  the  Brazilian  La 
Plata  was  originally  included  in  the  Portuguese 
dependency  of  Sao  Paulo,  and  its  possession  was 
secured  to  the  Portuguese  crown  mainly  through 
the  prowess  of  the  Mamelucos.  When  settled 
habitations  and  peaceful  industries  took  the  place 
of  adventure,  smaller  divisions  were  found  advanta- 
geous. All  the  territory  possessed  by  Brazil  in  the 
temperate  zone  is  drained  by  the  tributaries  of  the 
Rio  de  la  Plata,  except  a  narrow  strip  lying  between 
the  Serra  do  Mar  and  the  ocean.  This  mountain 
range  extends  from  near  Rio  de  Janeiro  to  Mal- 
donado  Point,  in  Uruguay,  with  an  elevation  of  from 


*The   Brazilian   consul   at   New   York  would   probably  furnish 
desired  information  on  that  subject  at  any  time. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  ^gy 

two  thousand   to   two  thousand    five  hundred    feet. 

Its  ascent  from  the  seaward  side  is  so  abrupt  as  to 

be    ahnost    inaccessible,  except    at    a    few  points,  to 

other    than    muleback    travellers.      Several    ahnost 

parallel   ranges   increase  the   difficulty  of  access  to 

the   seaboard.      In  the  Province   of   Rio   Grande  a 

break  in  the  Serra  do  Mar  admits  the  Grande  River 

to  the  sea  through  Pelotus  Bay,  the  only  available 

harbor    for    ships    on   this  part   of   the  coast.     The 

entrance  to  Pelotus  Bay  is  obstructed  by  dangerous 

sand-bars  that  will  probably  continue  for  some  time 

to  deflect  much  of  the  traffic  that  would  otherwise 

centre  here  through  the  more  circuitous  routes  of 

the  tributaries  of  the    La  Plata.      Notwithstanding 

this,  Porto  Alegre,  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  is  a  town 

of  considerable  importance,  and  the  only  entrance 

the  iron  horse  has  yet  made  into  the  western  part  of 

the  P^mpire  is  by  a  line  connecting  this  port  with 

Uruguayana,  on  the  Uruguay  River.     This  railroad 

is   opening  up  a  fine  section  of  country,  and  is  in 

operation  about  half  of  the  distance. 

Rio  Grande  is  one  of  the  most  important  Provinces 

of  Brazil.     It  bears  a  strong  physical  resemblance  to 

UrujTuav,  and  its  inhabitants  are  enci'acred  in  similar 

industries.      Cattle    raising    ranks    as    the    foremost 

industry.     Stock  cattle  are  worth  from   five   to  six 
y/  42* 


498 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


dollars  per  head,  and  those  for  the  slaughter  from 
two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  to  thirteen  dollars.  The 
annual  slaughter  is  from  two  and  a  half  to  three 
million  head,  and  more  of  the  dried  meat  that  forms 
the  great  staple  of  food  for  all  classes  throughout 
the  Empire  is  contributed  by  the  Rio  Grande  va- 
queros  than  is  furnished  by  any  other  part  of  its 
population.  This  Province  also  furnishes  more 
wheat  than  is  grown  elsewhere  in  the  Empire,  and 
the  berry  is  of  excellent  quality.  "  Improved  meth- 
ods" of  cultivation  have  not  yet  been  introduced. 
It  is  equally  well  adapted  to  all  the  fruits  of  the 
temperate  zone.  Cultivated  lands  are  valued  at 
from  six  to  eight  dollars  per  acre.  Coffee  and 
cotton  are  grown  to  a  limited  extent,  but  they  reach 
greater  perfection  in  the  adjoining  Provinces.  The 
people,  although,  like  Brazilians  generally,  a  very 
friendly  and  affable  race,  are  said  to  be  averse  to 
having  strangers  settle  among  them,  and  rather  than 
suffer  such  a  contingency  buy  up  all  lands  that  come 
into  the  market. 

The  Province  of  Sao  Paulo  ranks  second  in  the 
Empire  in  the  production  of  cotton,  of  which  the 
fibre  is  very  good.  The  plant  blooms  in  January 
and  picking  begins  in  February.  Cotton-mills  are 
in  operation  in  eight  different  towns,  which  repre- 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  400 

sent  an  invested  capital  of  ;^2, 2 54,000,  and  give 
employment  to  470  looms.  In  1884  funds  were 
being  subscribed  to  erect  a  mill  in  the  city  of  Sao 
Paulo,  of  greater  productive  capacity  than  any  in  the 
Empire.  (The  largest  one  now  in  operation  pro- 
duces more  than  4,000,000  yards  of  woven  goods 
annually.)  And  this  even  in  "  slow  Brazil,"  within 
three-quarters  of  a  century  after  T.  Ashe,  Esq.,  writ- 
ing thence,  assured  the  British  people  that  it  was 
"unreasonable  to  suppose  that  manufactures  could 
ever  flourish  in  the  western  hemisphere !" 

The  cultivation  of  coffee  ranks  next  after  cotton, — 
if,  indeed,  it  does  not  take  the  precedence, — and 
within  a  few  years  the  new  industry  of  collecting 
and  preparing  the  milk  of  the  mangabeira  (India- 
rubber)  tree  for  exportation  has  begun  to  attract  the 
attention  of  its  people.  This  tree  is  of  medium  size, 
resembles  the  weeping  willow  in  form,  and  bears  a 
delicious  fruit  something  like  a  plum,  that  bears 
transportation  well.  It  grows  abundantly  on  the 
sandy  soil  of  the  serras.  To  collect  the  milk,  sev- 
eral lenfrthwise  incisions  are  made  in  the  bark  and 
dishes  set  under  them.  After  a  few  days  these 
wounds  should  be  allowed  to  heal,  and  cuttings  may 
then  be  made  every  month  without  injury  to  the  tree. 
One  person  can  attend  to  from  ten  to  fifteen  trees. 


^00  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

The  Province  of  Parana  is  less  developed  than  are 
its  southern  neighbors,  and  has  a  more  sparse  popu- 
lation. Its  warmer  latitude  is  somewhat  compen- 
sated by  the  high  general  level  of  its  surface.  It  was 
on  his  route  from  St.  Catherine's  Island  to  Asuncion 
through  this  Province,  in  1565,  that  the  Spanish 
governor,  Sefior  Alvar  Nunez  Vara  Cabeza  de  Vaca, 
struck  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the  natives  with  the 
twenty-six  horses  that  formed  a  part  of  his  retinue. 
Never  having  seen  such  animals  before,  they  brought 
out  honey  and  chickens  to  feed  them,  and  begged 
the  governor  to  tell  the  "  monstrous  creatures  not 
to  be  angry  with  them  and  they  would  give  them 
whatever  they  wished."  Now  even  the  little  chil- 
dren almost  live  on  horseback.  Poor  Alvar  Nunez 
Vara  Cabeza  de  Vaca  had  a  hard  time  getting  his 
"  monstrous  creatures"  through  to  his  capital.  He 
had  to  keep  a  company  of  men  at  work  chopping  a 
path  for  them  through  the  thick  growth  of  thorny 
brushwood,  and  had  to  build  eighteen  bridges  for 
them  over  the  Ibicuy  River  alone.  It  cannot  be 
said  that  highways  have  very  greatly  improved  since 
his  day.  If  a  single  word  can  express  the  greatest 
need  of  Western  Brazil,  that  word  is  roads.  Yet  a 
denser  population  must  exist  before  a  great  change 
in  this  respect  can  transpire.     Bullock-carts  are  in 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


501 


some  sections  available,  but  for  the  most  part 
horseback  and  muleback  must  for  the  present  con- 
tinue the  chief  mode  of  conve}'ance  for  man  and 
merchandise. 

Matto  Grosso  is  one  of  the  largest  political 
divisions  of  the  Empire.  Its  name,  signifying  tJiick 
brushwood,  indicates  the  nature  of  its  timber  growth. 
The  climate  is  warm  but  salubrious.  After  IMinas 
Geraes,  it  has  been  Brazil's  most  prolific  diamond 
field.  Although  the  diamonds  are  usually  small,  no 
other  field  yet  discovered  has  yielded  so  large  a 
number  of  the  first  water.  The  search  for  them  is 
still  rewarded  by  a  fair  yield,  but  the  interests  of 
agriculture  are  now  superseding  it.  Coffee,  cotton, 
maize,  mandioca,  and  tobacco  are  its  principal  crops. 
Cuyuba,  the  capital  of  the  Province,  is  situated  in 
the  midst  of  the  gold  district,  and  was  founded 
through  the  excitement  attending  the  discovery  of 
that  metal.  Except  Ouro  Preto,  no  Brazilian  town 
was  more  cursed  with  the  yellow  dust.  Could 
human  beings  have  lived  on  gold,  eaten  it,  covered 
and  shielded  themselves  with  it,  these  early  settlers 
had  been  blessed.  Instead,  with  it  all  about  them, 
they  found  themselves  the  poorest  of  all  men.  In 
their  misery  another  affliction  awaited  them  that 
may  have  given  foundation  to  the  fable  of  "  John 


502  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

Whittlesay's  cat."  The  place  became  infested  with 
rats,  and  a  Portuguese,  who  preferred  speculation  to 
swinging  the  pickaxe,  brought  out  a  pair  of  cats. 
The  first  kittens  sold  for  thirty-two  drachms  of  gold 
avoirdupois,  and  the  second  generation  for  twenty- 
one  and  one-quarter  ounces  apiece.  The  relative 
value  of  cats  and  gold  has  somewhat  changed,  but 
both  still  contribute  to  the  welfare  of  the  inhabitants. 
This  city  is  two  thousand  miles  by  river  from  Monte- 
video, Asuncion  being  about  midway  between  them. 
Since  the  opening  of  the  Paraguay  River  it  has 
been  regularly  connected  by  steam  navigation  with 
the  ports  of  the  South  Atlantic,  a  new  impetus  has 
been  given  to  all  peaceful  industries,  and  new  villages 
are  growing  into  the  dignity  of  towns.  No  part  of 
the  Empire  has  developed  more  rapidly  than  its  La 
Plata  Provinces  in  relative  importance  since  the  con- 
clusion of  the  Paraguayan  war.  This  increased 
facility  of  communication  between  the  Spanish  and 
Portuguese  sections  of  the  La  Plata  is  also  con- 
ducive to  a  better  acquaintance  and  more  appre- 
ciative friendship,  as  well  as  to  the  development  of 
local  commerce  equally  advantageous  to  both. 

The  Brazilian  Provinces  is  the  only  part  of  the  La 
Plata  in  which  African  slavery  now  exists,  and  by 
existing   law  it  will  vanish  from  it  in    1890,  when 


OF  SO  urn  America. 


503 


the  government  will  purchase  all  that  may  then 
remain.  On  the  passage  of  the  gradual  abolition 
law,  in  187 1,  a  manumission  fund  was  provided  for 
from  certain  lotteries  and  special  taxes  with  which 
to  buy  slaves  and  set  them  free.  In  the  first  twelve 
years  after  the  passage  of  the  law  more  than  twelve 
thousand  slaves  were  freed  from  this  fund,  and  a 
large  number  had  also  purchased  their  own  freedom. 
Since  1S80  the  anti-slavery  question  has  been  vigor- 
ously agitated,  and  many  masters  have  voluntarily 
freed  their  bondmen.  At  the  beginning  of  1883 
Rio  Grande  was  next  after  Rio  Janeiro  in  the  num- 
ber of  slaves  manumitted.  The  next  year  some  of 
the  northern  Provinces  abolished  slavery  within  their 
limits.  At  the  beginning  of  the  century  one-fifth  of 
the  entire  population  of  the  Empire  were  African 
slaves,  but  it  is  decreed  that  when  it  shall  close  the 
sun  will  set  on  a  nation  of  freemen.  There  is  here 
no  such  prejudice  against  color  as  existed  in  the 
United  States ;  for,  although  the  African  has  always 
been  introduced  into  Brazil  as  a  slave,  no  prejudice 
exists  against  him  as  an  individual  or  against  his 
race.  His  slavery  is  merely  his  accident,  and  when 
he  has  gained  his  freedom  he  is  no  more  contemned 
than  if  he  could  trace  his  descent  untainted  to  Lu- 
satania.    African  blood  flows  as  richly  in  marble  halls 


C04  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

as  in   mud  hovels.      Every  avenue    of  wealth    and 
political  preferment  is  open  to  it. 

The  largest  proportion  of  slaves  are  now  held  in 
the  agricultural  districts,  where  it  is  still  believed 
that  the  successful  cultivation  of  coffee  is  dependent 
on  slave  labor, — a  belief  held  all  the  more  tenaciously 
because  it  has  been  found  that  olantations  worked 

i. 

by  manumitted  slaves  yield   much  less  than  before 
their  manumission. 

There  is  no  prettier  sight  in  the  whole  range  of 
husbandry  than  a  coffee  plantation,  not  excepting 
the  orange  grov^es  of  Paraguay.  The  trees  are 
about  twelve  feet  high,  covered  with  glossy  dark- 
green  leaves.  The  blossom  is  pure  white,  very 
fragrant,  and  lasts  but  a  single  day.  The  first 
blooming  season  is  in  August  and  September,  the 
second  in  November  and  December,  and  a  third  in 
January.  The  berries,  when  ripe,  are  a  bright  red, 
resembling  cherries  or  cranberries.  The  first  gath- 
ering is  the  main  crop.  The  trees  begin  to  bear 
when  three  years  old  and  continue  bearing  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  years.  The  fruit  is  gathered  in 
large  baskets.  Four  pounds  of  dried  coffee  per  tree 
per  year  is  a  good  yield.  To  gather  from  twenty- 
five  to  thirty-five  pounds  is  a  day's  work  for  a 
slave.     After  being  dried  on  a  platform,  the  berries 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


505 


are  passed  between  rollers  to  remove  the  pulp  or 
husk,  then  soaked  to  remove  a  mucilaire  that  adheres 
to  the  membrane  surrounding  the  seeds,  then  again 
dried,  passed  through  rollers,  and  winnowed,  when 
it  is  ready  to  be  sacked  and  placed  on  the  back  of 
a  mule  for  its  journey  to  the  seaboard.  Improved 
machinery  for  preparing  it  for  market,  suited  to  a 
large  plantation,  costs  about  fifteen  thousand  dollars. 
A  few  years  after  the  discovery  of  diamonds  in 
Brazil,  the  King  of  Portugal,  alarmed  at  the  rapid 
decrease  in  their  value,  called  together  his  wise  men 
to  devise  a  remedy.  Dr.  Joam  Mendez  de  Almeyde, 
a  distinguished  lapidary,  "  animated,"  as  he  said, 
**  by  the  fear  of  God,  the  love  of  his  neighbor,  the 
respect  due  to  his  king,  and  the  fidelity  of  a  good 
subject,"  brought  all  his  powers  to  bear  upon  "  the 
most  important  affair  that  had  ever  been  brought 
forward  from  the  beginning  of  the  world."  Royal 
Parliaments,  commercial  savants,  and  centuries  do 
not  always  agree  as  to  the  most  important  subjects 
of  human  consideration.  The  whole  Brazilian  dia- 
mond yield  during  the  dominion  of  Portugal  was 
two  hundred  and  thirty-two  thousand  carats,  valued 
at  seventeen  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
The  single  coffee  crop  of  18S4,  at  eight  cents  per 

pound,  amounted  to  nearly  four  times  as  much.     Of 
w  43 


5o6  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

this  crop  the  United  States  bought  nearly  five  hun- 
dred million  pounds,  so  fond  have  our  people  become 
of  the  black  broth  of  the  Lacedemonians. 

People  cannot  live  upon  "  black  broth"  let  its 
material  be  never  so  abundant,  and  as  wheat  does 
not  enter  into  the  food  supply  of  the  native  Brazil- 
ian, its  place  is  filled  by  a  flour  made  from  the  tu- 
berous roots  of  the  mandioca  plant,  of  which  two 
species  are  cultivated.  The  smaller  one  is  the  same 
described  as  taking  the  place  of  the  potato  in  Para- 
guay. The  one  principally  cultivated  for  flour  is 
larger,  the  tubers  averaging  from  five  to  six  pounds 
in  weight,  and  sometimes  reaching  from  twenty  to 
thirty  pounds.  The  stalks  are  slender  and  grow 
from  three  to  four  feet  in  height,  with  a  few  dark 
bluish-green  leaves  and  buds  throughout  their  length, 
by  means  of  which  the  plant  is  propagated.  When 
a  field  is  gathered,  the  stalks  are  cut  into  four-inch 
slips  and  planted  for  the  new  crop.  The  ground 
is  prepared  by  throwing  it  up  into  ridges,  the  same 
as  for  sweet  potatoes.  When  the  land  is  exhausted 
a  new  tract  is  prepared  by  burning  off  the  logs  and 
brush,  and  the  mandioca  is  quite  as  much  at  home 
among  the  stumps  as  are  corn  and  potatoes  in  the 
"  new"  parts  of  the  United  States.  The  labor  of 
cultivating  mandioca  is  left  wholly  to  the  women, 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


507 


because  tradition  .sa\'S  a  celestial  visitor  first  crave 
her  the  plant  and  explained  its  use  and  mode  of 
cultivation,  and  hence  it  is  believed  that  a  man  can 
have  no  luck  with  it.  The  angel  also  explained  to 
her  the  method  of  freeing  it  from  its  poisonous  juice, 
which  is  deadly  to  mankind.  This  is  effected  by- 
rasping  the  tuber  to  a  pulp  and  subjecting  it  to 
pressure,  after  which  it  is  dried  on  heated  stone 
griddles,  pounded  in  wooden  mortars,  passed  through 
a  sieve,  and  is  ready  for  use.  Half  an  hour  is  suffi- 
cient to  pre'pare  enough  for  a  meal  from  the  tuber 
and  bake  it  into  cakes.  The  native  or  aborigines* 
rasp  is  a  bit  of  timber  with  sharp  stones  gummed 
to  its  surface  ;  the  foreigner's  rasp,  a  wheel  with  a 
brass  tire  punched  full  of  holes  and  put  on  rough 
side  out,  which  one  negro  turns  while  the  other 
holds  the  tuber  against  it  with  his  hand.  The  native 
press,  which  was  also  in  use  when  the  country  was 
first  visited  by  the  white  man,  is  a  long,  slender 
wicker  bag  which,  when  pressed  full  of  pulp,  loses 
in  length  but  gains  in  width.  It  is  then  hung  up 
and  a  weight  fixed  to  the  bottom,  which  restores  the 
length  and  expels  the  juice.  In  the  absence  of  a 
more  convenient  weight  the  manipulator  takes  hold 
of  the  bottom  with  his  hands  and  swings  himself 
from  the  ground.     The  foreigner's  method  is  to  put 


eo8  ^^   PLATA    COUNTRIES 

the  pulp  into  hair-cloth  bags  and  place  it  under  a 
screw.  The  one  press  can  be  bought  for  a  dime, 
the  other  costs  nearly  three  hundred  dollars.  The 
fine  sediment  that  settles  in  the  bottoms  of  the 
vessels  that  receive  the  juice  forms  the  tapioca  of 
commerce.  Considerable  quantities  of  the  flour  are 
now  also  exported  to  Europe  for  its  manufacture. 
The  flour  is  either  eaten  dry, — for  which  it  is  often 
carried  in  the  travelling-bag, — baked  into  cakes 
mixed  with  water  or  with  water  and  honey,  or  fried 
in  olive  oil  or  suet.  It  also  forms  a  principal  ingre- 
dient in  the  olla  podrida  or  "  national  stew"  of  dried 
beef  and  vegetables  that  takes  the  place  of  the 
piichcro,  universal  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 

The  University  of  Sao  Paulo  is  the  oldest  school 
for  higher  education  in  the  Empire,  and  the  only  one 
in  these  Provinces.  Within  its  walls  many  of  Brazil's 
most  able  men  have  been  educated.  Its  curriculum 
is  similar  to  that  of  the  colleges  of  the  United 
States.  Its  divinity  course  requires  seven  years. 
Aside  from  the  advantages  afforded  by  it,  the  means 
of  acquiring  an  education  are  very  limited.  In  1882, 
Brazil  devoted  seventeen  and  one-half  per  cent,  of 
its  revenue  to  the  cause  of  public  instruction. 
During  that  year  two  children  for  every  one  hun- 
dred  inhabitants    in   the    Province    of  Rio    Grande 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


509 


received  the  benefit  of  the  grant.  Only  one  more 
child  out  of  every  thousand  inhabitants  was  in  the 
schools  of  Sao  Paulo,  and  three  more  to  the  thou- 
sand in  those  of  Parana.  The  maximum  of  the  dis- 
trict was  reached  in  Matto  Grosso,  where  there  was 
one  child  in  school  for  every  twenty-five  inhabitants. 
The  normal  school  and  the  foreign  teacher  are  not 
yet  factors  in  the  Brazilian  scheme  of  education. 

Like  the  republics  west  of  it,  the  PLmpire  of 
Brazil  early  intimated  a  desire  to  receive  accessions 
to  its  population  from  other  countries,  and  for  a 
time  its  greater  tranquillity  proved  more  attractive. 
In  the  six  years  from  1857  to  1862,  Brazil  received 
97,460  immigrants  and  the  Argentine  Republic 
only  33,020.  But  in  the  six  years  from  1876  to 
1882  the  Argentine  Republic  received  176,385  and 
the  Empire  of  Brazil  only  92,620,  and  this  notwith- 
standing that  several  million  dollars  had  in  the  mean 
time  been  disbursed  from  the  Imperial  treasuiy  for 
the  encouragement  of  immigration  and  the  support 
of  immigrants.  With  a  large  outlay  of  money,  it 
has  established  several  colonies  of  luiropeans,  some 
of  which  have  been  reasonably  successful.  The 
townships  laid  out  for  colonization  by  the  Imperial 
Government  arc   six   miles  square,  and  are  divided 

into  quarter  sections  of  seventy-five  acres,  for  which 

43* 


510 


LA   PLATA    COUNTRIES 


a  merely  nominal  price  is  charged,  payable  within 
five  years  at  six  per  cent.  Deeds*  are  given  when 
the  lands  are  marked  off.  But  as  the  bulk  of  un- 
cultivated lands  in  the  Empire  belong,  not  to  the 
government,  but  to  individuals,  who  hold  immense 
tracts  free  from  taxation,  and  take  but  little  interest 
in  colonization,  those  general  and  extensive  schemes 
which  might  otherwise  obtain  are  impracticable. 
The  agitation  of  the  subject  how  to  augment  its 
population  has  made  prominent  the  rather  discour- 
aging fact  that  a  very  small  proportion  of  those  who 
from  time  to  time  have  found  a  home  there  have 
accepted  the  privileges  and  assumed  the  responsi- 
bilities of  citizenship.  Although  a  large  number 
of  foreigners  have  been  engaged  in  business  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  its  domain  during  the  first  fifty-seven 
years  of  the  independence  of  Brazil,  only  5309  per- 
sons were  naturalized.  Several  reasons  are  assigned 
by  Brazilian  statesmen  for  this,  among  which  are  the 

*  Minerals  are  not  included  in  these  government  sales  unless  so 
specified;  as,  with  certain  specifications  and  limitations,  the  mineral 
wealth  of  Brazil  has  always  been  the  prize  of  the  finder,  who  pays  a 
percentage  into  the  Imperial  treasury.  The  extraction  of  the  min- 
eral wealth,  as  well  as  the  modern  development  of  other  Brazilian 
industries,  is  due  to  the  investment  of  foreign  capital,  a  large  pro- 
portion of  which  is  British. 


OF  SOUTH  AMERICA.  5  ,  j 

political  disabilities  attaching  to  foreign-born  citizens 
and  to  all  non-adherents  of  the  State  Church.  The 
removal  of  all  such  disabilities  is  earnestly  advo- 
cated by  some  of  its  most  eloquent  legislators.  As 
a  measure  to  secure  the  assimilation  of  its  foreiiin 
population  and  attract  others  in  increasing  numbers, 
the  "  Citizens'  Bill"  was  introduced  in  the  Congress 
of  1883,  and  was  again  agitated  in  that  of  1884.  ]5y 
the  provisions  of  this  bill,  foreign-born  citizens  are 
to  be  eligible  to  all  offices  in  the  government,  in- 
cluding the  Regency;  all  foreigners  become  citizens 
by  a  residence  of  three  years,  unless  they  go  before 
the  consul  representing  their  country  and  state  that 
they  do  not  wish  to  renounce  their  citizenship  in 
their  native  land  ;  the  time  of  residence  necessary 
to  secure  Brazilian  citizenship  is  reduced  from  three 
to  two  years  by  marrying  a  Brazilian  lady  or  hold- 
ing civil  office. 

Whatever  special  legislation  may  add  its  acceler- 
ating influence  to  the  general  development  and 
prosperity  of  the  Empire,  its  La  Plata  Provinces 
will  bear  no  insignificant  part  in  its  future  history. 


THE    END. 


I 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 
on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


MAY  1 6  1962 


^oOcVe^sa 


REC'D  LD 


^^^  2  7  -63  -lO.AM 


r 


UCCIB.    JUNlS'TS 


«^  C'S.    JUL  1  8  19S 


IINItK    LliiKAKt 


nr-f^ 


10CC 


AUG  18  1979 


^^y  24  1993 
JAN  1 2 '67 -5  PM         0.  Disc. — 


LOANDEPT^.    FEB  2  9  199? 


U.C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


#1 


CD3'=13SM2D2 


